A Single Choice
by Silver IceWind
Summary: [possible slash] What happens if one decision changed everything? That terrible night in Godric's Hollow... what if Lucius was the one to take Harry home instead of the Dursleys? Decide to raise him with Narcissa? Destinys change... but for the better?
1. Shattered Destiny

A Single Choice  
Prologue/Chapter One- Shattered Destiny  
By- IceWind

A/N: 

****

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything in its franchise is owned by J.K Rowling and whoever else has rights to the books. I have no claim whatsoever to the characters; the plot is entirely mine though, as is any new characters that I might introduce into the story. Rating is PG-13; though it may turn to R later.

****

Warnings: Probably slash in later chapters… which for those who do not know what that means, it means boy/boy, yaoi, shounen-ai, or homosexuals if you want to get technical. It's AU (alternate universe) Definitely AU; nobody could mistake it for anything else. I accept constructive criticism, and flames are fine as well just as long as you don't care if I write a reply, most probably sarcastic, unless you actually had a good reason… though that would probably go under the constructive criticism column and I wouldn't do anything but thank you. ^_^ 

Well… I must say that this isn't a _completely_ original fic, at least I think so. *pouts* Since it has Harry as a little kid, raised by other people *shuts up and smiles sweetly at everyone* But I happen to think that I've stayed away from _too_ overused topics, I sure hope so anyway. I may only put up the warning in this chapter, I'm not too sure yet. 

Anyway, I'm holding off on my other Harry Potter fic for a bit, not a lot of people seem to read it *pouts* besides, this idea seemed to scream out at me. *smiles sheepishly* I'm sorry if this seems kind of short, but anyone who has ever read my fics would know that the first chapter is always short -.-; 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

__

So it has begun…

A voice was heard; high pitched, pleading, whimpers wrenched from a distraught woman. A cold tone answered her, mocking and triumphant, his words a clear negative. A broken voice answered, voice strained and full of grief over lost loved ones, her tone finally landing upon a unyielding, rock hard, strength arising from places never before thought about. 

Behind her a baby laid peacefully nestled in a bunch of blankets, innocent, wide emerald green eyes staring at the scene with nothing but wonder, clouded with slight confusion. He felt sorrow radiating from the woman, but he couldn't feel the man who had that strong, confident laugh. He waved a tiny fist in the air, the woman's sorrow growing too much for him as he suddenly burst into a fit of tears.

__

Actions to be played out…

Behind the stranger stood five others, their forms unmoving, all eyes unwavering from the scene except for one… one pair of cold eyes that stared down at the baby with no emotion at all. The man watched the baby with an intensity unrivaled by any, his gaze not flickering even when he heard the woman scream, her voice strangled and full of pain. 

He watched the chubby fist wave in the air, the tear filled emerald gaze stricken. He watched as if something was compelling him to watch, to see no other but this little boy who would soon lose his last remaining parent before dying himself. Suddenly the crystalline bright green eyes locked onto his… and he found himself holding his breath.

__

The end comes swiftly…

As if by magic, the cry grew softer, the sniffling abating, the curious gaze filling his own vision. The little boy fretted, before finally holding out his arms to the man, his actions clearly demanding to be picked up so that he could examine the stranger in front of him better. A swift cry broke the delicate moment, and finally… _finally_… the man looked over at the woman who had dived in front of the little boy, a green flash… terrible, dark, twisted… filling his vision before dissipating as if it were never there. 

But to all's surprise, it was not only the woman who had slumped over, her form prostrating itself on the ground in front of the little baby who cooed unknowingly at his mother, but also the man. A scream was heard from him, shrill and filled with disbelief, his terrible crimson eyes flashing with rage and fear. With a strangled scream, he disappeared from sight, leaving nothing but the mangled body of the woman to show that he had even been there.

__

Panic does none good… 

With frightened yells, the five men… no _four_ of the men, scrambled away from the baby who was once again bawling his little eyes out. They looked at each other in a frightened manner, none noticing their last member watching them calmly, surprisingly feeling nothing at all but acceptance. As if they made the decision together, they all disappeared from sight, unlike the man before them, they did this voluntarily. 

The last man stood in the middle of the ruined room, his gaze traveling down from where his 'comrades' escaped to where the baby laid, the tiny voice surprisingly loud in the empty house… the house that was nearly totally destroyed. He hesitated for a moment, suddenly feeling uneasy, as if he violated a sacred place.

__

A choice to be thought over…

Something compelled him… no it was his own will. Slowly, almost reluctantly, he stared back down into the baby's eyes, those beautiful oculars darkened with sadness and tears. He moved himself forward, feeling every bit of his moving body; his mind jumbled, yet somehow clear as well. He knelt down and picked up the boy, blankets and all, and held him for a moment, face blank as he stared into the tiny face.

Suddenly he stood up, his hands remarkably light and soft when they handled the boy. Emerald eyes looked at him and the boy hiccupped, before finally calming down once more, caught once again in the steady gaze of the one holding him. The baby smiled, seemingly unaware of the vicious scar carved out upon his forehead, his little eyelids drooping, the day's events proving too much for him. With a tired sigh, the boy fell into a light sleep, his chest rising up and down slowly and steadily. 

__

And here is where the road splits… 

High up in the starry skies Destiny looked at her chessboard filled with rows upon rows of figurines. Each one a likeness of the people down upon the planet she resided over. Her smiled was full of pain, sorrow, happiness, despair, joy, laughter. It held every emotion in man, her features twisted and ugly. She watched down upon the ruined house, the man and the baby, one eye upon them, another upon the chessboard. Suddenly two pieces moved… through no hand of hers, and she smiled once again, watching two figures join onto one square, another one standing watch over them on an adjacent square. For the first time her smile had only one emotion… acceptance, and her face was beautiful. 

Lucius looked down upon the fragile baby in his arms, his face calm and stormy. When it finally cleared, a resolute expression was set upon his face. He cradled the baby carefully in his arms, a weary smile coming upon his face as he gently brushed away a piece of ebony hair away from Harry's eyes. Finally he started to walk out of the ruined house, his eyes only on the baby who slumbered peacefully in his arms. 

__

Destiny turned and faded, her ears catching a faint whirring of an engine speeding towards the house. Too close… too near… it was Their last effort to let everything go the way it was supposed to. Her smile held only supreme knowledge now, the knowledge of nothing, and slowly she blinked her all-seeing eyes and the engine from the machine grew softer. It was all she could do… and it was enough. Without a parting glance, with no emotion at all, Destiny disappeared. The chess board finally shattered behind her and the castle she resided in vanished forever more. 

A decision has been made…

With firm steps Lucius headed back to Malfoy manor where his wife and son awaited him… a surprise coming along with him. One made out of a gut feeling, instinctive, and it made him feel tranquil and serene, for the first time he felt in control of his actions. The sleeping baby gurgled softly and nestled deeper into the soft blankets and warm body. 

Too late… Hagrid arrived at the ruined house, his voice wailing and full of grief as he searched through the ruins, his large capable hands pushing away rubble as if they were nothing. He found the broken bodies of James and Lily Potter… but could not find the little boy, the little boy who would one day prove himself to be invaluable, the little boy who had somehow defeated the one wizard everyone feared… Harry Potter. 

__

At last Destiny was at rest…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ta da! Harry is with Lucius! *beams* and NO, he's not going to end up with Lucius *waves a finger in front of your faces* I have other plans for the man. If you guys don't get the Destiny part, here's a rundown. Destiny is supposed to control everything, yet what if one action, one decision, occurs without Destiny to guide it? What if that one action completely shatters whatever Destiny had planned? What if Destiny was tired of meddling in people's lives, rather she wanted them to make their own choices? So that's why she delayed Hagrid from arriving too soon (that's what happened when she blinked her eyes) and the 'Their' are the supreme powers of the universe who have no other meaning in this fic except for that one reference to them. 

*snickers* Don't you think it's rather interesting? *pouts* I hope you guys do… and remember to review! ^___^ Reviews make me happy and motivated; you want a happy and motivated Icey right? 

~

My e-mail address is flyby311@hotmail.com and put Single Choice or fanfic or Harry Potter or something similar to that, so I know what the e-mail is about. Anything you want to add/criticize/comment/whatever you guys just review it… please? 


	2. A Malfoy's Pride

A Single Choice

Chapter Two- A Malfoy's Pride

By- IceWind

A/N: 

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything in its franchise is owned by J.K Rowling and whoever else has rights to the books. I have no claim whatsoever to the characters; the plot is entirely mine though, as is any new characters that I might introduce into the story. Rating is PG-13; though it may turn to R later.**

**Warnings: Probably slash in later chapters… which for those who do not know what that means, it means boy/boy, yaoi, shounen-ai, or homosexuals if you want to get technical. It's AU (alternate universe) Definitely AU; nobody could mistake it for anything else. I accept constructive criticism, and flames are fine as well just as long as you don't care if I write a reply, most probably sarcastic, unless you actually had a good reason… though that would probably go under the constructive criticism column and I wouldn't do anything but thank you. ^_^ **

Hmm… nothing much to say right now, just go read. ^.~ And don't worry, I'm speeding up the timeline a bit in the next chapter so Harry won't be a little baby anymore… hehe. Oh, and I changed the summary for the fic 'cause I didn't really like the last one ^^;

**Sirius: *twitch* Confusing? Well I hope to rectify that later then. ^_^;;**

**Moonchild: Nope, definitely not a 'evil Harry who is even more worse than Draco and goes to Slytherin' fic, hehe. And about Torn Asunder… *coughs* I need a little break from that fic and my other ones, so I'm working on this one… But I'll work on it sooner or later. **

**DragonShimmer: *giggles* Thankies! I'll try to work on my other fic later… eh heh. **

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Slowly Lucius circled the perimeter of the Malfoy Manor, his gray eyes expressing his annoyance at his own forgetfulness. "How could I forget?" he murmured softly to himself, holding the slumbering baby carefully in his arms. It was an open secret that the Malfoy Manor had many, many different types of protections, shielding, and secrecy charms placed all around its perimeter. It was even rumored that those without the blood of a Malfoy within them would be attacked by wandering beasts, of course rumors such as that make people wonder how the Malfoy's could even entertain guests… so much so they didn't place any belief in it. 

There was a rather simple solution for that question actually, they didn't. Not in Malfoy Manor specifically anyway, perhaps in one of their many villas or one of their summer houses. Lucius gave a half sneer in derision. Did those fools really think that he would entertain _them in his own __private estate? Not likely. In fact, the Malfoy family liked their privacy so much that they had a false manor for just the public. It was only a little smaller, but it did not contain many of the more important items that were… questionable at least._

Only one knew of the manor's existence other than the Malfoy bloodline, and that was Lord Voldemort himself. Even then, Lucius only gave vague directions and hints, no matter that he may be serving the man; there was family loyalty to hold to, tradition, and pride. That was what a Malfoy prided himself upon, and even he was wary to break any of those sacred rules, if he did… well then, he wasn't a _Malfoy. _

He could only think of one thing to do now and his lip curled slightly in something that seemed akin to both amusement and irritation. Silently his gaze was drawn down to the baby in his arms and he gave a soft sigh, something akin to regret, before taking out a small ornate dagger. Lightly he slashed his hand before roughly taking up the baby's and making a small slash there as well. 

Abruptly Harry woke up wailing, his little arms flailing, pain and shock showing in his tearful emerald eyes. He looked at Lucius with incomprehension when the man clasped his hand and slowly the pain disappeared. Now he gave Lucius a bright gaze, eyes quickly drying, as if he was saying that Lucius didn't mean to hurt him, that it was by accident and that he forgave him. 

_"Sanguis" Lucius hissed out slowly and a bright silver glow surrounded Harry for a moment, it flickered and waned before growing stronger. Finally it seemed to melt into his skin and disappear, Harry feeling nothing at all. Lucius gave a wan smile at the baby in his arms, wondering lightly to himself if his actions had been too rash… _

No matter, the house had accepted him, and really that was all that counted. For a moment he had been worried that the manor would reject the boy, and then what would he have done? There had been only one way to get Harry in and that was to put some of his blood in the baby and hope that the manor would accept him. Evidently it did, for the silver glow went into the boy instead of being rejected, and the slash on the hand had completely healed up. 

A faint grimace twisted his mouth at the thought and he was silently grateful that it did heal. The manor had a mind of its own; at least that was what the Malfoy's believe. The manor, and the spells surrounding the manor, went back for centuries… the Malfoys were the most ancient pure bred family around. Even if you were a Malfoy, one born into the blood, still you had to be either born on the premises of the manor or your blood had to be spilled -willingly- onto the manor for you to be accepted. When they took a spouse, then they would have to perform the same ritual Lucius did with Harry and hope to whatever god that they got accepted, if they didn't, the fiancé's mind would be wiped and the Malfoy would have to take another to wed. 

A bit melodramatic some may think, but still necessary. Malfoy manor was one of the most secure places in the world, the only other one that could even compare to it was Hogwarts itself… and heavens know that anything was fallible, especially with a headmaster like Dumbledore running the school. Anti-apparition charms spread throughout the premise except in a single room, made for quick getaways; protections spells, beasts… almost everything was incorporated to make sure that the manor was one of the most secure places in existence. It may seem a bit much to some, especially if nobody really knew about the place, but throughout the years the manor had proven its usefulness. 

With a faint sigh of relief, Lucius disappeared from sight with Harry snug in his arms, apparating to the entrance room. 

~

"My love?" a soft voice vibrated through the elegant room and a tall figure appeared, her arms cradling a light blonde boy. Narcissa Malfoy walked down gracefully from the stairs, her head tilted slightly as she raised a brow at Lucius's slightly bedraggled figure and the bundle in his arms. Some thought she was infinitely cold with manners of an ice queen, yet that was in public only, and in private she became something very much unlike others saw.

Oh, she was still loved pleasant and beautiful things, but she was almost cunning and ruthless when it came to anything that came between her and what she wanted. Intelligent and very powerful, she was a match for Lucius and they both knew it. But they didn't care, she adored her husband greatly and he her, something that was not known and spread throughout the wizarding world. Who knew of the many people who would be willing to take advantage of that little fact?

Lucius looked up tiredly at his wife and a slow, reluctant smile formed, "Hello love." He walked up quickly towards her and gave her a soft kiss, looking down into the eyes of the baby she held. Lightly he shifted Harry so that he could carry with him with one arm and leaned down, lightly touching Draco's cheek with his fingers, "And how is my little heir today?" 

"We were worried about you. Something happened with Voldemort correct?" Narcissa's words were smooth and articulated, with only a bit of her worry showing. She glanced down at Harry and a faint smile twisted her lips, "And it seems you have picked up something as well, is it the little Potter child? Why do you have him Lucius? And why did you perform the blood to blood spell?" 

Glancing down, Lucius stared into Harry's crystal clear emerald eyes and a genuine smile came to his lips as he heard the baby coo towards him and raise a hand. Finally he looked back at his wife and gave a light chuckle, "What do you say if I said that Voldemort is gone… for now, and that little Potter is going to live with us and grow up alongside of Draco?" His practical side came over and a gleam came into his eyes, "I have no doubt that Voldemort would return, and if this little babe could defeat him once, then think of what he could do when he comes of age." 

"A half-breed?" Narcissa chided her husband softly, amusement glinting in her eyes, "What ever shall we tell the members of society?" She glanced down when Draco made a soft sound and his brilliant silver eyes opened, staring at his mother for a moment before looking towards his father and the other baby. Faint curiosity flashed in his gaze as he raised a hand towards Harry. 

Inquisitively Lucius watched Harry switch his attention from the man to the other baby, his voice lightly answering, "Who said we were going to tell anyone?" A pleased smile came to his face when Harry and Draco lightly touched hands; he and Narcissa were standing that close to each other. "And they seem to be getting along well enough; we shall raise the Potter boy along side of Draco." 

A slight nod answered Lucius's statement, and Narcissa now drew back slightly, looking up and down at him with a critical eye, "I think, my love, that you better have the manor draw you a bath." She stepped away lightly when Lucius grabbed at her with his free hand, rebuking him slightly, "Now don't let Harry fall!" 

Easily Lucius reached out and grabbed Narcissa by the waist, drawing her close to him, while they both ignored the annoyed sounds coming from the babies, "Don't worry, my dear. We're going to get out of this just fine."  

~

_Who would have thought, Lucius mused to himself__, that the Malfoy family would go up against Voldemort? What really boggled his mind more was the fact that the wizarding world actually believed that they would be kissing the hem of Voldemort's robes. Yes, they were a dark arts family, but that didn't automatically make them… well, for lack of a better term, __evil. Darkly Lucius thought to himself, __as if the Malfoy__ family would bow down to anyone. It just isn't done. _

Of course that didn't mean that they were on the side of 'good' or 'light' or however you may want to call it. Quite the contrary, Lucius thought that Dumbledore was a doddering old fool and would not have anything to do with the old man. Besides, he really did dislike half-bloods and muggles, horrible people they were… well except for maybe Harry, though no one was completely sure if Lily was muggle born or from a pure bred family. Sure she had those muggles for a family, but she was so much different from them, rumors floated around that she had been adopted.  

If you _had to call the Malfoy family something, it was neutral… with a little dabbling on the side of course. They wouldn't be like other families and totally immerse themselves in their own lives, rather Malfoy's were proud, strong creatures, and would always try to find ways to turn things into their advantage. Lucius grimaced slightly as he pulled back the sleeve of his robe and stared at the faded dark mark etched there. He had thought that he was being clever at the time, pretending to be Voldemort's follower so that he could steal the other man's power… he had been a fool. But he had learned from his mistake, that was certain, and he would get his revenge for having the other man treat him like a dog. _

And no matter how much it may pain him to do it; he was going to use Draco and Harry to achieve his means. 

Lucius sighed and sank back into a comfortable chair, his eyes growing heavy as he thought to himself. Voldemort wasn't dead, that was certain, yet… how would the man recover? A chill went up his spine as he critically thought over the other's actions and finding all options… distasteful. But Voldemort would do it, that Lucius was sure of. 

The name Voldemort. Idly Lucius marveled over the way he had once been afraid, as had everyone else, had been of speaking the name out loud, as if they would catch the man's attention somehow that way. Now he knew the truth… that Voldemort encouraged that because it inspired _fear and anyone with half a brain would know how fear could manipulate the mind, make it warped and confused. The only way he escaped the mind snare was by Narcissa… his dear Narcissa, who had pretended to be a fool, insipid, air-headed. Yet under that façade was a strength rivaled to his own… to anyone's. He wondered if any even suspected her… but then discarded that thought, none would dare to, and none would be clever enough to. _

He gave a soft sigh and heaved himself up to his feet, putting away several scrolls and quills. His limber body moved nearly silently through the quiet halls of the manor, making his way towards his and Narcissa's chambers when he suddenly found himself in front of Draco's nursery room. His mouth quirked slightly and he shook his head lightly, wondering why the manor led him here when he had specifically been thinking of falling into bed and sleeping until noon. 

Then again, the manor had a mind of its own at times and it usually was prudent to see why it had led him to a specific place or something like that. Suddenly he froze and his mind buzzed with little thoughts, sharp little thoughts. _What if something happened to Draco? What if Voldemort found out my taking of Harry and came here for revenge? What if Voldemort knows__ how much I hate him?_

Finally, _finally, he managed to get his emotions and thoughts under control, sharply reminding himself that the manor wouldn't let anyone one in that were not tied to it. Nevertheless, he pushed open the door hurriedly to Draco's room and stood with his wand half drawn, hard gray eyes looking around the room and finally landing upon his wife. _

"Narcissa…" he gave a mental sigh of relief and subtly pushed his wand back into his robes, walking towards her, "What's this?" Faint surprise appeared in his eyes when he saw Harry and Draco sleeping side by side, curled up around one another. They looked peaceful, their small chests falling up and down lightly in sleep. 

She glanced up from where she kept watch, a tiny smile playing upon her soft lips, "Aren't they gorgeous together? Like light and dark, day and night…" She reached down a hand and gently traced Harry's scar, "Do you think it will go away, love? I'd hate for him to be blemished in such a way, he's such a lovely boy, like Draco is." 

Lucius reached out and grabbed her hand, placing a gentle kiss on her palm and gave a smile, "Don't worry… and please, love, don't make assumptions about them. I'd rather not have the Malfoy line end so soon." He smirked devishly at her and she batted his hand away. 

She tilted up her head towards him, her words playful as she spoke, "I don't know what you are implying, love… and you haven't answered my question." 

Gently he teased her, "I didn't know you were so supercilious, my dear. Also, I'm afraid that the scar will never go away, it's a curse scar made from the _avada kedavra curse…" He paused and suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to tell her that little fact before. Inwardly he cringed and then resolved to face her as a Malfoy would, before damning his ancestors to hell under his breath for making him a Malfoy in the first place. Then he started to damn the manor as well for leading him to this room and consequently to this confrontation… _

"The killing curse, Lucius?" Narcissa's voice was soft, her eyes narrowed at her husband. "Are you telling me that Harry was hit with one of the unforgivables and you failed to tell me? Especially since the baby in question survived with merely a scar?" 

Abruptly Lucius cleared his throat, tugging down on his robe's collar slightly, _is it me or is it getting a bit warm in here? He gave Narcissa an uneasy smile, "Umm… well… yes?" Inwardly he winced, his ancestors would be rolling in their graves if they heard how ineloquent he was currently being… then again, they never had to face a wrathful Narcissa. A wrathful, __maternal, Narcissa. _

Later he would find this amusing… he was almost sure of it. Almost, because he wasn't sure if he would actually live. Absentmindedly he noted to himself that this certainly wasn't the way a Malfoy was supposed to behave, but if he tried pulling off one of his 'I'm a Malfoy, fear me now' tricks, then she was liable to kill him… or even worse, _castrate him.  _

She gave him an amused look, seeing the stiff way he held himself, which to a skilled observer of a Malfoy's mannerisms (mainly her) it was apparent that he was scared. Ah, she could never stay mad at him for long and Harry didn't seem to be greatly affected by the curse… though she did wonder if anything different would happen in the future because of the scar. "How did he survive? And why did Voldemort want him and the Potter's dead?" her question was mild and gently asking, certainly not the anger that Lucius expected.

Now he relaxed slightly, taking on his more confident -as well as arrogant- role. "Voldemort never told the rest of his death eaters about the Potters, he just said that he wanted them dead. James was killed early on by the dark lord, but Lily died trying to protect Harry before he was hit with the curse, I'm not too sure why or how the boy survived." He gave a slightly rueful grin, shaking his head lightly. 

Narcissa turned away from him and her pale eyes regarded the two boys slumbering under her watchful gaze. Finally she spoke, softly, confidently, "We'll protect them both and they will help us achieve our means. We're going to break ties with that bastard, love, sooner or later we're going to break ties and we won't be bowing and scraping on the floor towards him. If there is one things Malfoy's keep, then that is their _pride." _

At her confident tone, Lucius smiled and gathered her in his arms, turning his eyes towards the sleeping boys as well. He murmured lightly in her ear, "Don't worry, my dear. We'll raise Harry the same way as we're going to raise Draco, nothing but the best for our family." 

She nodded her head absentmindedly, reaching out to brush the silky locks of their hair, "We'll have to be careful though…"

"Of course."

"Who knows what might happen when Voldemort finds out… _if he finds out." She paused and sighed, "I really wish that bastard would just die for once Lucius… I really do. We're going to take our revenge for all of the humiliation he put our family through." Narcissa leaned back into Lucius' strong embrace, closing her eyes for a moment. _

"I agree completely with you, my dear. Don't worry; we'll get our revenge sooner or later." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*grins* Let's just say that I'm going to put my own spin on things. See? Lucius and co are not _evil but they sure as hell aren't __good either. ^_^ So I placed them in a neutral category with a penchant for revenge against Voldemort. *snickers* Next chapter you'll see more of Draco and Harry *cheers* and that'll be fun… especially since they're going to act like how I envision little kids should act like. And I like the Malfoy manor, which is why I made it the way that it is, hehe. As you may imagine, I'm going to have some fun with the house… _

**Important: I'm going to give Draco and Harry pets… yes, a pet for each of them. ^_^ Preferably a cute pet k? So you guys just tell me what I should give who and I'll choose something suitable for each. **

~

My e-mail address is flyby311@hotmail.com and put Single Choice or fanfic or Harry Potter or something similar to that, so I know what the e-mail is about. Anything you want to add/criticize/comment/whatever you guys just review it… please? 


	3. Beginnings of a Headache

A Single Choice

Chapter Three- Beginnings of a Headache

By- IceWind

A/N: 

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything in its franchise is owned by J.K Rowling and whoever else has rights to the books. I have no claim whatsoever to the characters; the plot is entirely mine though, as is any new characters that I might introduce into the story. Rating is PG-13; though it may turn to R later.**

**Warnings: Probably slash in later chapters… which for those who do not know what that means, it means boy/boy, yaoi, shounen-ai, or homosexuals if you want to get technical. It's AU (alternate universe) Definitely AU; nobody could mistake it for anything else. I accept constructive criticism, and flames are fine as well just as long as you don't care if I write a reply, most probably sarcastic, unless you actually had a good reason… though that would probably go under the constructive criticism column and I wouldn't do anything but thank you. ^_^ **

*smiles gleefully* So many people reviewed! *hugs you all* Yay! Now if we could keep this up… *coughs*hint*coughs* hehe, sometimes I amuse myself. O.o;; Okay, so I'm _slightly hyper right now, me channel all energies into writing! You'll see what pets they receive in this chapter, I though about all of your ideas (really I did) but except for a snake for Harry (sooo not cuddible, though I love them) you didn't agree with each other. Heh, so instead of favoring one over the other, I thought up of something myself. _

**Tat: Intriguing hmmm? I think I like the sound of that ^_^ I'll try to keep it up then, try to shove a nice, complex story line in there as well. (I'm very big on those… -.-; but this won't be as hard to understand as say… Torn Asunder or even my Tamora Pierce fic Aether Winds) **

**(person with nothing there): You know, sometimes its fine just to give a letter as a signature, makes replying easier… but it's okay! Hehe, as long as you reviewed I'm happy. You're tired of seeing a light and happy Harry? *large sweatdrop* I really cannot say if he will or will not be happy.  **

**Taggurit: *chuckles* Original? Not really, I think several other people before me have done the same thing I'm doing. And the probability of this being slash is _extremely high, so almost no worries there! But that won't come until much later in the story, they're still little kids! _**

**Dark-Moon/Iris: Thank you! **

**DragonShimmer****: *twitch* Only you would come up with an albino hamster and a ferret. *giggles* Ah, what would I do without you? Probably have saner reviews :P Joking, joking! Yeah, I would definitely want a manor like that *sighs* but I can't ;.; **

**Tir-synni****: Hehe, the best you ever seen? *grows teary eyes and glomps you, wailing* thank you! *coughs and quickly regains composure* Yeah, I love Lucius as well… not as much as Draco and Harry but up there. I got kind of annoyed with all of the 'Lucius is a terrible father and should burn in hell because he beats his kid and starves him and forces him to do nasty things like killing people' *coughs and takes a deep breath* **

**MissPatriciaPotter****: *grins* Thanks for reviewing and I was sort of thinking of giving them something similar to that… but then I decided it wouldn't work for what I want to do later on. *evil grin***

**Serena Cherry: *laughs* Suggestions aren't bad… interesting creatures btw. I made up my own a while back called a siryuu… and let me tell you that it would have been biologically possible if it could have existed. *giggles* that's because I also gave a description of its framework, structure, internal organs, *rambles on* Yeah, so when I was done I had a lot on it. **

**Hippy Flower=Voldie's Kid: Thanks! And hmm *rubs chin* I could use some anime stuff, books, or just plain cash… *trails off and grins sheepishly* Ah well, just joking. **

**Fireangle****: *grins* I love writing this story, so much fun, and I love the house, I wish I could have one just like it… Thanks for your input on ideas.**

**Cynic: *slight bow* Thanks! And naked? *smirks evilly* I'll see if I can squeeze that in, but no promises! ^.~**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Slowly, methodically, Lucius paced down the hallway of the Malfoy manor, his eyes barely glancing at the portraits on the wall as he walked. A faintly rueful grin appeared on his face as he approached a sturdily made, beautifully carved oak door, his steps quickening slightly as he neared. All he had to do was hope that the boys forgave him for arriving back so late. He was visiting Harry first, his room being the closest, and then he would visit Draco… yes, that was the plan at least. 

A thoughtful look entered his gray eyes as he wondered how long it has been since he had last seen them all, his work taking too much of his time to come visit. Of course that would soon all change, especially with Harry and Draco having reached five years old. A slightly wry grin appeared on his face at the thought, tinged with a little sorrow for having missed a lot of time in their early childhood. Of course that didn't matter now, the past was past, and there was nothing he could do to change it… unless he obtained one of those time turners of course. 

Finally he reached the door and opened it, peeking inside the elegant room as his gaze was drawn towards the bed where a little lump under the blankets should be, signaling a slumbering little scamp by the name of Harry Potter. He arrived early in the morning, perfect for surprising the boys with his return. 

Suddenly he stopped and stared at the bed, faint slivers of panic starting rising as he absentmindedly noted that his life became more and more hectic with the arrival of both boys. "Harry?!" his gaze flew frantically towards the bed as he didn't see the familiar mop of black hair and the little boy who was supposed to be sleeping. _Draco… Lucius bolted out of the room, not caring overly much about the way he was panicking and the fact that Malfoy's weren't __supposed to panic, and went quickly next door._

"Draco!" His frantic voice rang out and he strode hurriedly through the door, immediately looking to where his son was supposed to be before he stopped and stared. There were two little boys sprawled out on the bed, limbs entangling themselves with one another, both in the throes of deep slumber. Harry had his head on Draco's chest and his arm flung around the other boy, while Draco was clutching Harry as if he was a pillow. Even though Lucius' voice was rather loud, neither woke up though Harry gave a soft murmur and buried himself deeper into Draco and the bed. 

_Cute…wait a moment. Immediately Lucius shook himself out of his thoughts, relief foremost among his mind while he idly wondered why Narcissa didn't inform him that the boys still slept in the same bed. A bad habit, he really ought to break them of it. Of course, they both looked absolutely adorable and peaceful sleeping like that… _

A light grin made itself visible as he walked slowly towards the duo, struggling to regain his composure from his earlier panic. _No, not panic. Malfoys do NOT panic… right. He gave a mental nod to himself and suddenly grabbed the edge of the blanket, gazing at the little boys for a moment before he gave a great yank and threw the blanket off, barking out, "Wake up!" _

Harry stirred once again, mewling softly in the cold as he grumbled to himself and opened one wide emerald green eye and suddenly bounced from sleepiness to awake in several seconds when he saw Lucius. "Luwcius!" Immediately he jolted from the bed and flung himself into the older man's arms, wiggling around excitedly as he called out, "Dwaco! It's Luwcius!" Excitement shone from his bright eyes as he twisted around in Lucius' grasp and looked impatiently towards the still sleeping Draco, "Dwaco! Wake up!" 

Draco mumbled to himself in his sleep and threw an arm over to where Harry was supposed to be laying. He opened his eyes blearily when he couldn't feel his companion and looked towards Lucius with an impertinent glare, "I was sweeping!" He then looked towards Harry and pouted, an adorably cute pout with the lower lip trembling slightly. 

Lucius looked towards his son in confusion, _sweeping? … Oh! Sleeping! Note to self, get the boys speech lessons or something of the sort. He chuckled lightly to himself, raising a brow at Draco and asking archly, "And I don't get a hello?" He struggled to contain the excited, bouncing Harry, looking at the little boy with amusement, "Miss me?" _

Suddenly Harry dropped a messy kiss onto the man's cheek and wriggled out of his grasp, running back towards Draco and dropping down next to the sleepy little boy, "Don't be sad, Dwaco! Pwease?" He started to pout as well, his figure drooping slightly, a sad expression in his eyes as he looked at his counterpart. 

Apparently it was something he did often because Draco looked at him impassively for a moment and spoke, "You woke up without me!" Suddenly his gaze softened as Harry managed to look even sadder than before and he sighed and giggled, "So'k!" With that he gave the slightly younger boy a hug and looked towards his father, "You's late!" He declared this with a slightly regal air before he collapsed into a fit of giggles when Harry started to poke his stomach. "Hey!" Immediately he retaliated by tackling the other boy and started to tickle his sides.

All in all, they had forgotten about Lucius who was still standing at the foot of the bed, slightly chagrined at how quickly the boys forgot about his presence. He cleared his throat loudly, and seeing when that had no effect, suddenly sighed and spoke lightly, "I got presents." Inwardly he smirked when he saw both little bodies still and two heads peek up at him.

"Pwesents!" Harry surged to his feet first on top of the bed, nearly falling down until Draco reached out an arm to steady him. He gave Draco a cheerful smile and darted towards Lucius once again, demanding, "Where?!" 

Draco followed at a statelier pace, as suited for a Malfoy heir, before he heard Harry threatening that he would get all of the presents unless he hurried up. At that he bolted forward and collided with the back of the dark haired boy, rubbing his head and whining, "I want some too!" He tugged lightly on Harry's hair and the other boy stepped to the side slightly to make room for him. 

"Here you two," with that, Lucius pulled out two figurines, one of a dragon and another of a gryphon. Each one was intricately done, as they say, nothing but the best for a Malfoy… or those living with the Malfoys. The dragon was jet black in color with silver eyes, wings slightly out furled, features peaceful and serene, which was kind of surprising to see. The gryphon was golden brown in color, emerald green eyes looking regal, in the same position as the dragon was in. 

Lucius grinned when he saw both pairs of eyes widened and waved the two figurines in front of the boys, "Now who gets which?" His voice was light and teasing, knowing full well that Draco would probably want the dragon and Harry the gryphon. Surprise flickered in his gray eyes when Harry's arm shot out and grabbed the dragon carefully.

"Mine!" He turned towards Draco and put on his most adorable, you-can't-deny-me-anything face, "Pwease Dwaco?" He cradled the miniature dragon lovingly in his arms, looking at the other boy with the beginnings of a pout about to form, "It weminds me of you!" 

In reply, Draco nodded once and nearly gasped as Harry's arms snaked around his neck and the other boy squeezed him in a hug. He giggled softly and gently extracted himself from Harry's arms, grabbing the gryphon from his father's hand. 

"Hello, love. Perhaps next time you could visit me first?" Narcissa smiled slightly at Lucius' guilty look, walking over to the trio slowly as she took in Harry and Draco's forms. "You two have to get changed," she spoke mock sternly, chuckling lightly at the woeful looks the little boys shot her way, "Now give me your new toys and I'll put them in your rooms so you can play with them later… Milly!" 

At her voice, a house elf appeared, looking at Draco and Harry with something akin to guilt, "Sorry ma'am! Milly will get young masters Harry and Draco changed!" The house elf had large, doe like brown eyes and enormous ears, her stance slightly uneasy. 

The house elves at the Malfoy manor were those not known to others, in fact completely separated from the outside world. They were happy though; the Malfoy's usually ignored them and didn't deign to punish them, rather ignoring them mostly. Draco and Harry played with the elves at times though, mostly because they never left the manor grounds. In conclusion, the elves were rather happy with their living status and serving the family, some of them boasting how long their family had served the Malfoys, and all extremely fond of the two boys who ran amok about the manor. 

Reluctantly the boys placed their toys in Narcissa's hand before running out the room following Milly. Narcissa gave the retreating figures a small smile before looking back towards Lucius, chiding lightly, "You're late, love."  
He laughed and strode over to her, giving her a light kiss, "I know, I know. Draco told me the same thing. Now tell me, do they sleep in the same room every night? Harry nearly gave me a heart attack when I saw that he wasn't in his room." He brushed a strand of blonde hair away from Narcissa's eyes, tilting his head slightly. 

She gave him a smile and stepped away lightly, "Of course they do! You can't pry them apart unless with magic and even then they won't be apart for long. Don't you think they look so adorable together?" Suddenly her lips pursed and a gleam entered her eyes, "Nearly had a heart attack? Not seemly for a Malfoy, love." 

For a moment Lucius seemed to be at a loss for words before he gave his wife a rueful grin and a mock bow, signaling his defeat. "I'm going to be around much more often, my dear, can you put up with me?" He grinned devilishly at her when her eyes widened slightly at the statement, "Oh and I'm taking the boy's out for a walk after breakfast, I'm sure they'll enjoy that." 

Quickly Narcissa regained her composure, a touch of amusement appearing on her face as she spoke, "Of course, love." 

~

"Now boys, don't run off too far? I rather not have to find you two in little pieces." Lucius smirked to himself as the two boys looked at him with wide eyes. It wasn't necessarily true, for the creatures that inhabited the manor grounds would never hurt those of Malfoy blood… or ones accepted like Harry had been. But it didn't hurt to add in the little threat, who knew where the boys would run off to? What if they got lost or fell down some hill or something such as that? Not only would he be besieged with worry, but Narcissa would kill him as well. 

He gave an internal sigh as he casually leaned against the tree, trying to look as if he was _not tired and aching… it was getting harder and harder to prove himself to be a loyal Voldemort follower even if the man… or creature, whatever he may look like, was not there. Not to mention he still had his work in the ministry to do and being a Malfoy in general. Lucius closed his eyes and listened to the sound of little feet softly moving away and his lips upturned slightly in a smile. _

Who would have guessed that he would grow to be as fond of the Potter boy as his own son? He knew that Narcissa felt the same way about them both and they worried about what they would have to do later on… but that was in the future, and there was no need to worry about that until it came up, he refused to even think about it. Well, except for the fact that they _were going to get revenge against Voldemort, if there was one certainty, that was it. Now if only the boys weren't so much of a handful… _

~

"Dwaco!" Harry tugged at the edges of Draco's black robes, his emerald green eyes sparkling with excitement, "Let's go!" He gestured haphazardly towards the surrounding forest, sneaking a guilty eye towards Lucius before darting his gaze back to his blond companion. He knew that they weren't supposed to not go out far… but Lucius wasn't being any fun at all! 

Draco chewed on his bottom lip for a moment, looking at the other boy with a serious expression before whispering in a dramatic voice, "What if Luwcius finds out? We'll get in twouble!" He snuck a 'covert' glance towards his father, forgetting once again that he was supposed to call the man 'father' and Harry was the one supposed to call him 'Lucius'. At the appearance of Harry's patented -or should be patented anyway- pout, he felt his small resolve crumple instantly and he flashed the slightly younger boy a cheeky smile, "Okies! Let's go!" 

A cheerful smile became a fixture on Harry's face as he and Draco snuck away into the forest, both of them erupting into random giggles almost every five steps before they looked back towards where Lucius was resting guiltily. It was a gorgeous day, marred with only the small amounts of clouds that drifted lazily across the sky. The sun beat down upon the ground almost relentlessly, but both boys were shaded by the large foliage in the forest and they wandered down further and further happily. 

Suddenly Harry stopped and clung to Draco's side, eyes growing wider and wider as he looked around. The other boy stopped abruptly and cast his companion a puzzled look, "What's wong, Hawwy?" He gave the smaller boy a slight hug, silver eyes looking both worried and amused at the dark haired boy's actions.

"I dunno whewe we are!" Harry shivered slightly and buried his head into Draco's side, earlier excitement and courage melting away at this new dilemma that faced them. In truth, Harry was much more sheltered than Draco, never allowed to leave the manor or go alone in the surrounding areas without an adult. It was more for security reasons than anything else, but Harry didn't know that. 

Draco suddenly grinned and lifted Harry's chin up slightly, proclaiming in a proud voice, "I'll prowtect us!" He gave an empathic nod at Harry's hopeful look and looked pleased when Harry giggled and hugged him tightly. "Ok! We go… that way!" He pointed in the direction of some nearby cliffs, marching towards there proudly, while ignoring his own fear; he had to protect Harry didn't he? 

Harry suddenly ran ahead of him, skipping in the sun, the light making little dapples on him as he spun around and broke through into a small clearing. Suddenly he stopped short and stared, a delighted look creeping up into his eyes as he looked back towards Draco and spoke excitedly, "Look Dwaco! Doggies!" He looked around, his eyes shining as he watched something just out of Draco's sight. 

"Doggies?" Draco questioned softly to himself, confusion appearing in his eyes as he hurried towards Harry. He watched Harry giggle and smiled brightly at the site, bursting into the clearing himself and blinking in the sudden burst of sun as he looked at what the other boy was currently petting. "Doggies!" He squealed softly and rushed forward to where Harry was petting a black canine. 

The wolf cocked its head slightly, ears pricking as it heard the word 'doggies'. He whined softly and suddenly trotted over to where others of his pack were watching the proceedings, nudging out two roly-poly pups, one jet black in color and the other a pristine white. The pups looked at their father with curious eyes before they suddenly spotted the two little boys who were watching them avidly. Suddenly as if they forgot the rest of their pack, they sprang forward into each boy's arms, barking loudly and wagging their tails.  

"Mine!" Draco clutched the white-pelted one, giggling as a pink tongue lolled out and licked his face. Suddenly he stilled and tilted his head slightly, silver eyes curious as they looked deep into the light azure ones of the pup. Next to him Harry was doing the same with the ebony pup, both of their small bodies huddled together as two voices suddenly clamored in their heads.

_We're pack! _

Apparently it only got Harry and Draco confused, for both little boys blinked and looked each other incomprehensibly, not noticing while the rest of the other pack melted back into the forest. Finally Harry spoke, eyes suddenly gleaming with slight understanding, "Pack? You and me and Drawco and the other one?" He giggled as the black pup licked his face, holding the squirming wolf in his arms, "Okies! I'm Hawwy and that's Dwaco! Who you two?" 

The white one spoke up arrogantly, his eyes gleaming brightly as his tail wagged as fast as it could go, _I am Tyr and he is Ayrin. You are interesting, we like you! His sleek head butted Draco's and suddenly Draco's head was filled with the pup's laughter. _

"We gotta go and find Luwcius!" Harry turned towards Draco with shining eyes, "Which way?" At Draco's silence and blank look, Harry shuffled nervously as he struggled to keep Ayrin from breaking loose from his arms. "Dwaco?" he questioned the pale-haired boy softly, eyes holding glimmers of fear, "We lost?" 

_Human smell is over there Ayrin spoke lightly in Harry's mind, nudging the boy with his nose as the pup pointed his head towards the smells of the manor. __We live there with you, yes? His dark blue eyes looked into Harry's gleefully, suddenly squirming out of Harry's hold and darting ahead before stopping and waiting patiently for them to catch up. _

Harry giggled as Tyr broke Draco's hold as well and darted forward to join his brother. With swift movements, Harry grabbed Draco's robe and started to drag him forward, saying excitedly, "Luwcius is going to wuv them!" 

~

_You have to be joking… Lucius groaned and rubbed his head, feeling the beginnings of a headache to set in. Finally he spoke, eyeing both boys and their squirming bundles warily, "Let me ask you this again, you both picked up __wolves and are bonded to them?" At the twin blank looks on both little boys faces Lucius sighed, "You are now 'pack' and can hear one wolf in your head." _

Harry giggled and buried his face into Ayrin's soft fur as Draco answered for them, his voice rebellious, "Can we keep 'em?" Idly he decided not to tell his father that he could hear both Try and Ayrin in his head, Harry could as well, and smiled his most charming smile at Lucius. "Pwease?" he made sure his eyes were as wide as they could go, if it could work for Harry, it could work for him right? 

"Why not?" Narcissa's voice floated lazily over the garden, her steps slow and dainty as she walked up to both boys and kneeled down next to them, rubbing the heads of the wolf pups. "Aren't they just darling, Lucius? They remind me of Draco and Harry… don't they remind you of them too?" She shot a dangerous look towards her husband, making sure to stress his name. 

Seeing that he was beaten, Lucius sighed and muttered to himself, "And I guess I have no more say in this household hmmm?" At the innocent looks the rest gave him, he let loose a light chuckle, eyes stern, "Just take care of the Astrali wolves and make sure they don't run amok about the manor." Once again Harry and Draco looked at Lucius blankly and he gave a slight shake of his head, simplifying things, "Your 'doggies'." At their bright looks he spoke on hastily, "Of course, now that this has happened, don't think that I'm going to let you slide in your lessons. In fact, I'm going to double your work load." 

Draco pouted but sighed, nodding, seeing as if this was the only way to keep the two wolves… of course he had no idea that Lucius probably wouldn't be able to part them anyway. He looked down brightly at Tyr before looking towards Harry and Ayrin, "It's ok, right Hawwy?" At the nod from the other boy, he looked back towards his father and gave a simple smile, "Okies, Luwcius!" 

"Father!" Lucius corrected the boy in exasperation, feeling the headache beating down harder upon his head. This on top of everything else. Why couldn't his own son figure out that he was supposed to call him father and that Harry was the one supposed to call him 'Lucius'? Idly he regretted the fact that he let the Astrali wolves live on the manor grounds… but they were helpful in guarding and fierce as well. 

Of course, they weren't supposed to bond to anyone as well, they usually were solitary creatures. Astrali wolves behaved like normal wolves, perhaps a bit faster, larger, stronger, and smarter. That is _before they bond of course, and when they bond they suddenly have a whole myriad of abilities appear, not all of them were things that Lucius knew. Such as the sudden ability to speak to their bonded, their lives are now extended to match those of the wizard they bonded to, and they could now perform __slight, extremely slight, magical abilities such as lighting one's way. If they did anything else, then Lucius didn't know about it, though he was now going to research it. Ah well, perhaps this won't be as bad as he feared?_

He heard the suddenly giggle of Harry when the black wolf pup suddenly pounced towards a house elf, scattering it back to where it came from…

Nope, it was going to be as bad as he feared. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I just discovered that I am _dismal at writing about little kids. *dies* So do you guys just want me to bump up their ages to seven or something in the next chapter? ^_^;; I can do that! Really! Anyway, do you like my wolves? Personally I love wolves myself and I'm rather good at writing about them. Poor Lucius, you could just hear the headache forming couldn't you? Ah well, I love torturing the guy. Just a note, Lucius is only nice to his family and Harry, he is in no way changed from his nasty self when any of the Weasley's are around or Dumbledore gets introduced in a conversation, or anything like that. I'm just trying to show the lighter side of them all for now until I get into the heavier stuff… _

Now remember to leave a review, they make the world go 'round! 

**Important: (This'll happen later on in the fic) Should Draco go to Hogwarts before Harry? (I'm letting Harry go in later) I'm having a tough time deciding, and yes, this time the votes _do count lol. _**

~

My e-mail address is flyby311@hotmail.com and put Single Choice or fanfic or Harry Potter or something similar to that, so I know what the e-mail is about. Anything you want to add/criticize/comment/whatever you guys just review it… please? 


	4. Lucius Does Have Some Semblance of Contr...

A Single Choice

Chapter Four- Lucius Does Have Some Semblance of Control! (*gasp*)

By- IceWind

A/N: 

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything in its franchise is owned by J.K Rowling and whoever else has rights to the books. I have no claim whatsoever to the characters; the plot is entirely mine though, as is any new characters that I might introduce into the story. Rating is PG-13; though it may turn to R later.**

**Warnings: Probably slash in later chapters… which for those who do not know what that means, it means boy/boy, yaoi, shounen-ai, or homosexuals if you want to get technical. It's AU (alternate universe) Definitely AU; nobody could mistake it for anything else. I accept constructive criticism, and flames are fine as well just as long as you don't care if I write a reply, most probably sarcastic, unless you actually had a good reason… though that would probably go under the constructive criticism column and I wouldn't do anything but thank you. ^_^ **

*smiles sweetly at you all* Have I said how much I loved you all already? *snickers* Especially for the reviews, so keep it up! Now, I'm wondering if I should reply to reviews at the beginnings of each chapter or the end of them *looks thoughtful* ^_^;; I'll stick with the beginnings for now. And my title for this chapter is weird, _very weird. It's because I couldn't think of any and thought that it sounded amusing this way… I'm sad… anyway, carrying on… _

**Tima: Slytherin… possibly. ^^; I'm not really sure myself really. Bad author! *wacks herself***

**Tir-synni: Protector thing, I know, it's absolutely adorable and I write the stuff ^^;**

**Shadowofthevampireangel: You have a very long name lol. Even with little kids? I know _exactly what you mean! I abhor little kids in real life! *large sweatdrop* I mean, they look better far away to me. I just portray Harry and Draco how I think they would be at that age._**

**Xamona: *grins* Together all the time hmm? Well I'm not going to say anything *starts whistling***

**Wiccachic2000: Yeah, I know it's my story lol; I just can't make up my mind sometimes. And you'll see what they do with the pups in the later chapters.**

**Artemisu the Dark Stormlight: *giggles* and another one with a long name! *gives you a funny look* For a moment I wasn't really sure if you were insulting me or complimenting me, but whatever lol. ^^; And I'm not totally sure if I'm making this a Harry and Draco fic or if it will be a Harry and Severus (I happen to love that pairing as well) But you really won't have to worry about the incest like thing part if it is a Draco and Harry fic… *hinthint* since I'm doing something about that. **

**Mindel: Whee! Thank _you for reviewing my fic! ^^; Yeah, I don't really like writing the lisp thing either; I never know when to stick in 'w's or whatnot. Heh, at least I only have to do it for a few more chapters… *reassures herself* I have sense? *gasps* wow! I wasn't aware that I had any! Hehe. _**

**Rtael: Don't worry; I'm bumping up their ages in like… two chapters or something like that. Just after I do a couple of things. And how do you _know Harry's not going to get a snake? *snickers and leaves you wondering* Hehe, what else is there besides H/D slash? How about H/SS? *giggles* But no, I do think it would be Harry and Draco._**

**Lieana: Yup, I'm writing about them in Hogwarts as well… though perhaps not as you expect it would be *winks* **

**DragonShimmer: Aren't you always retarded? *snickers* Joking! Cutest thing you ever read hmm? Hehe, I never knew I had it in me to write adorably cute things. **

**Caelestis: *scuffs toe on ground bashfully* Aww… you're so nice. An inspiration? I wouldn't take it that far, but it's a nice thought. **

**Stormswept: *giggles* You're as silly as me! *snickers* Setting up a scene hmm? Just wait and see…**

**Q: Once again I meet someone who I'm not sure is complimenting me or insulting me *snickers* I love you all anyway. And if you think about, just because they entered the same time in the books doesn't mean that they have to here. What if Lucius decides to kill Harry off? *shudders* Lol, a million new things pop up if you change even _one event, which is why this fic is titled 'A Single Choice' because everything changes because of one, seemingly insignificant choice. Thanks for your review. ^_^_**

**Ruhgozler: Yeah, super powerful creatures is tempting, but it just wouldn't seem real… as real as wolves bonding and such could get lol ^^; You understand what I mean right? (hopefully) Mmm… how the family reacts to them going to Hogwarts… you'll see later of course! **

**Laura Holmes: Yeah, I know that kids can be a handful… having taken a family living class for a year (I quit after that year lol) Snape… *snickers gleefully* Oh, that's going to be _fun to write. _**

**Otaku La: (from an e-mail) *grins* absolute fav author… I'm so touched! And I _love Midnight Blue's fic! A yahoo group? *blinks and grins* I really haven't thought about getting one… Teasers, hmm… All I will say is that I'm kind of following the storyline of the HP books, but since one incident completely changes everything… well, you'll hear my take on it if this is what had happened. And trust me, Lucius still hates the Weasleys, muggles, and half-bloods *winks* I don't want to completely change him! _**

**Pheonix353/Unpredict/NightStalker/Barbara/Raiydon Seth/A.Potter/Lilyanna (you are lucky I know what kawaii means hehe): Thank you. ^_^**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Why?" The simple question escaped Narcissa's lips.

Lucius sighed and lifted up a hand, gently rubbing his forehead with it as he looked at his wife who was currently reclining on a very tastefully done -expensive as well- couch. He was standing up nervously, resignation in his eyes as he started to pace, something he did when he was particularly agitated or worried. A silly habit to be sure, but one he couldn't seem to break out of. Five steps in one direction before he whirled around and walked the same five steps back, repeating the pattern over and over again as he tried to puzzle this out. It wasn't as if anyone would see but Narcissa… 

"Well?" She demanded, getting slightly impatient with his silence and pacing. Her pale narrowed eyes watched him carefully, gauging his mood and what he may be thinking. Perfectly manicured nails held a piece of fabric that was draped over the couch tightly before she became aware that she was doing so, and then she just flexed her fingers and willed them to relax. 

He suddenly turned towards her, anger flickering in his gaze. Lucius opened his mouth to speak and abruptly closed it, trying to gather the reigns of his temper. Damn it all, he was a _Malfoy and __Malyfoys do not lose control of their emotions! He was aware of Narcissa's merciless look when he finally answered, seemingly turning away from the topic at hand. "They are very close," he abruptly stated, his gaze sliding off of her form as they moved towards the fireplace._

"Oh?" she was not fooled, her eyes boring into him. "And for that reason you are going to do it?" Her nails rhythmically began to tap upon the couch as she bluntly stated, "That isn't a good enough reason Lucius, and you know it."

Suddenly Narcissa took in the way his body tensed, the tightness around his shoulders, and a flicker of pity flashed through her beautiful face as she spoke in a slightly gentler tone, "They are very close, but think of what it would mean to them if you do this." 

A soft sigh, barely audible, broke from Lucius. He gently fingered the elegant carvings upon the marble mantle before he seemed to stand straighter, saying defiantly, "I'm going through with it no matter what you say, Narcissa. You are forgetting that while they are close to us, they are also instruments in our revenge." Almost angrily he grasped the marble, knuckles turning whit as he squeezed.

"They will hate you."

At that calm, almost bland statement, he whirled around, anger sparking in his gray eyes. "They may be angry at me in the beginning, but it will not last. They already know, and agree; with the extent we will go to exterminate Voldemort. They won't complain for long, and they are very young and will get over the hurt swiftly. You of all people should agree with me… we have seen this out this far, what makes this time so different?"

Narcissa paused before answering, collecting her thoughts. Finally she spoke softly, "They are so innocent, Lucius, I don't want them to despair -as I know they will- and become less than what they are now." She let her body slump down onto the couch, her head gently resting upon its arm. "I agreed before because I am a Malfoy now, and I hate Voldemort with a passion that rivals yours. But can we treat Harry and Draco as mere pawns in a chess game? Like Voldemort does to his Death Eaters or even that subtle manipulating that fool Dumbledore does?" She looked at him solemnly, ice blue eyes clouded with worries and fears. "You do know that neither is going to obtain the childhood they deserve?" 

Lucius met her eyes before having to look away after a short while, his voice stiff as he spoke, "Neither of us had a normal childhood, Narcissa. And what about the countless of people Voldemort has killed? A great many of them are children with their childhoods cut brutally short." He took a deep breath, "We could stop him, with Draco and Harry."

A bitter laugh escaped her lips and she pulled herself up from the couch, walking to where they kept the fine bottles of wine. Calmly she poured herself a glass, not bothering to offer any to her husband, and drained most of it at once, suddenly speaking in biting tones. "Drop the 'saving the children' act Lucius. We both don't give, nor care to give, any thought to them. We preserve our own and nobody else. We would sacrifice a room full of innocent children to obtain what we wanted." The end of her speech was almost a low hiss, furious that he would even dare bring something like helping others into this. 

He winced, he couldn't help it. Finally he walked to where she was and gathered her in his arms, ignoring the way she tensed and held herself stiffly. Lightly Lucius whispered in her ear, "You said at the beginning that you agreed, that you would do things my way. Narcissa, love, I would spare them whatever pain may come their way but I cannot. Do you want either of them to end up like me? Bound to that half-blooded bastard?" 

Slowly Narcissa relaxed in his arms, placing her head lightly on his chest as she murmured a soft negative. They stood like that for several minutes, submerged in their own thoughts, before her voice broke the silence, "What do you think about the two of them then?" Her voice was slightly resigned, but determined to see this through as well. 

Warmth flooded in Lucius' eyes as he held her tighter and buried his face into her exquisite hair. "Draco will be more of a strategist than Harry. He'll be able to think up brilliant plans in either offense or defense and cover nearly all of the bases. Harry, on the other hand, will be better to think up impromptu, spur of the moment ideas. They both seem very strong in power, but Draco will memorize things faster and Harry would probably apply the concept better. Because of that, Harry will be better in spells and such, while Draco may take a better interest in potions. They are gifted -or cursed- with a bond animal, Astrali wolves who would guard them with their own lives. They are perfect Narcissa, absolutely perfect." 

"Harry is more impatient than Draco and Draco is much more guarded and cautious than Harry." Narcissa pursed her lips slightly in thought, "I do not know if that is good or bad. People will instinctively trust Harry; it will be harder for Draco. But Harry runs the risk of getting in over his head or trusting someone that would betray him. I fear for the little one, Lucius, I don't want him to become cold and callous." 

Lucius paused and sighed, mentally agreeing with his wife on her assessment as he spoke carefully, "We will have to train them then. Not only in their powers but in how to think and how to act. We have already started with the preliminary work, but that is only a trickle of what we have to teach them. Tomorrow I'm going to bring them both to Diagon Alley to obtain their wands, perhaps an owl. Ollivander will not ask any questions." 

"What about afterwards Lucius? When you do what you say you have to do?" Narcissa turned slightly in his arms, not breaking out of his hold, to look at him straight in the eyes, her own deadly serious. "How are we going to teach them then?" 

Another sigh escaped him, "Don't worry, Narcissa. It won't happen for a couple of months at least. I am just giving you warning about what I'm going to do. That is enough time for teaching them the basics and you and I will teach them the rest later on. One of us is sufficient to teach the lessons, you are as good as I am and you know it." He fingered strands of her golden hair, musing softly to himself, "Each of us can teach the boys different things, we'll just switch every once in a while. It'll work out, it has to. People are already becoming suspicious, Narcissa, this is one way to stop them." 

Narcissa's eyes narrowed slightly at the last statement, "How dare they become suspicious of us, daring to ask questions and give rise to rumors. Don't people know any sense of privacy anymore? I suppose that if a low class family like the _Weasleys are and have been acting like we do; other would take no heed of it." Her fingers clenched reflexively upon the wineglass. _

Gently Lucius reached over and plucked the glass from her, silencing her protest with a light kiss. He withdrew and grinned slightly as she glared at him mutinously, and downed the rest of the contents with a sigh of pleasure. "Very good age, smooth on the palate." At her continued glare when he seemed to ignore her words, he smiled pleasantly and spoke up, "It comes with being a Malfoy, dear. You knew that when you decided to marry me. Nothing new… and I really do _hope that the Weasleys aren't even thought of in the same context as we are. That muggle loving Arthur…" He trailed off and shook his head. _

She gave a slight nod in agreement and understanding. "How are you going to take the boys out, love? While I do know that nobody knows what Harry looks like, and all of them assume that he died, I don't feel easy with the fact that someone may spot him for who he is… somehow anyway." 

A secretive smile graced Lucius' lips, a faint twinkle in his eyes as he leaned down to whisper something in her ear. "It's going to be a surprise for Harry… isn't his birthday coming up soon? Next week correct? Let's just think of this as an early birthday present." He grinned at her slight pout when she realized that he wasn't going to tell her yet, "Let's get to bed shall we? I have a long day tomorrow taking care of two brats." With that, he began to move them both off in the direction of their bedroom. 

~

Harry strained with his ears as he strove to make sure that Lucius wasn't going to check up on him. He was a little disgruntled that last week the man forbade him to sleep with Draco ever again… no matter how many pouts and puppy eyes they shot in his direction. He just couldn't get to sleep without the other boy, despite how much Ayrin tried to comfort him. At least Draco was the same way; he knew that from the frequent complains the other boy made about how cold he was… however large the fire in his room may be. 

_Bonded? Speaking of which, the black wolf pup looked eagerly in Harry's direction, his dark coat blending into the shadows of the room perfectly. Ayrin bounded to his feet from the foot of Harry's bed, his tail whipping side to side as he cocked his head and waited. __Are we going soon? _

The dark-haired boy looked brightly towards the pup, reaching out impulsively and grabbing onto the sleek fur, petting it absentmindedly as he whispered softly, "I can't heaw them, but lemme borrow your ears." No matter how much Lucius tried over the past week to cure the boys of their lisps, they couldn't overcome it completely, not yet anyhow. 

As Harry heard his wolf's silent agreement, he slipped into Ayrin's consciousness, suddenly as if he _was the pup… only the other pup was controlling the actions and he was just a passenger along for the ride. It was an exhilarating feeling and when the pup sniffed his nose and inhaled the scents that permeated the air, he too smelled what was floating in the air. Suddenly he jolted back into his own body and rubbed his head lightly, finding that once again he had been too engrossed in the wolf and that he should only keep part of his awareness in the wolf and another in his body. So that he can function in his body while using his bonded's senses. At least that was what Draco said. _

_I could not smell the tall alpha Ayrin referred to Narcissa and Lucius as 'alphas' and Lucius was the tall one while Narcissa was the smaller one. __His scent lingered in the halls, but he is not near us… will we go now? His mind voice was impatient, the pup licking Harry's chin in excitement. _

It was rather amazing how Draco and he could use the pup's own senses… they have discovered that almost immediately after obtaining the rambunctious wolves. It also became apparent that Ayrin and Tyr had their own sense of personalities. The dark pup was a little more excitable with a sense of curiosity that had gotten him into a lot of trouble. Tyr was the same way, only he managed to suppress that urge to find out everything… most of the time anyway. 

"Shhh! I'm trying to tawk to Dwaco!" Harry breathed in and out slowly, his mind stretching out to where Draco's consciousness was as he sent tentatively. _-Can we come?- This was something new that he and Draco just recently discovered, the ability to talk to one another and send their emotions along with it. But… it wasn't exactly the same as to Tyr and Ayrin, it was a weaker sort of link and they couldn't use each other's eyes or ears… only sending messages. _

_-What took you so long to come? Tyr said he couldn't hear or smell anyone coming for ten minutes!- Draco's imperious voice rang down their link, slightly amused by his darker counterpart. Another strange thing… at least in the boy's minds while it would have been perfectly logical to anyone else, their lisps disappeared while using mind-speech. _

Harry just scowled at a wall before dissolving into soft giggles, scrambling up from beneath his silk sheets as he 'tiptoed' towards the door, pausing dramatically in several places as if he could get caught at any moment. 

_Why are you doing that? I can't sense anyone coming… Ayrin's confused voice flashed through Harry's head as the ebony pup padded steadily towards the door, his silence coming naturally to him. He waited at the entrance, looking impatiently at Harry as he used a spark of magic to open the door -something he wouldn't be able to do if it was actually spelled shut- and went out into the hallway. He raced towards the next door which was some distance away -the boy's rooms were very large really- and waited, almost bouncing in place._

A soft sigh escaped Harry's lips and he grumbled good naturedly at the way his pup spoiled his fun. His emerald green eyes brightened as he suddenly darted out towards the door and towards Draco's, almost feeling the manor's amusement over this now nightly tradition. It was the same thing any Malfoy, or those accepted by the manor, could do… almost feel the manor in the back of their minds. Sort of like the bond they boys had with the pups, but much, much weaker in comparison. Most of the time they didn't even realize it was there. 

Lightly Harry pushed opened the door and peered into the darkened room, that in the morning was a splendid mix of whites and greens… Slytherin colors really, not that the two boys completely understood the concept of Hogwarts and the houses just yet. It was just something that Lucius said to them, and they liked the colors so it was fine to them that Draco's room was this way, while Harry's was a mixture of black, blue, and green. A bit darker than Draco's, but he liked it nonetheless, even if it had no real significance like Draco's had. 

"Dwaco?" He looked at the lump curled up in the bed and gave a slight pout. He shuffled closer to him when suddenly Draco sat up and grinned recklessly at him, the boy's blond hair in disarray and his sheets crumpled around him. An answering smile graced Harry's lips as he clambered onto the bed next to Draco, curling up on 'his' side of the bed. 

Draco sighed and snuggled back down into the sheets, yawning sleepily as he curled up next to Harry, his features peaceful as he muttered, "Did ya set the 'larm clock? I dun want Luwcius to find out." 

Tyr raised his head towards his brother, a soft whine of greeting emerging from him as the darker wolf jumped up onto the bed, rocking it slightly as he laid down. The white pup curled next to Ayrin, reminiscent of what Draco was doing to Harry, and a seemingly peaceful sigh escaped their muzzles. 

"You was 'posed to call 'im father, and I'm 'posed to call 'im Luwcius." Harry reminded Draco sleepily, his eye lids drooping as his need for sleep began to overcome him. He slurred even worse than before -hard as that was to believe- when he was tired, and at this time in the late night, he was _very sleepy. He cuddled into a pillow, feeling the warmth at his back (Draco) begin to comfort him._

"Mmmhmm… I just fowget…" And with that parting statement, both boys slipped into a peaceful slumber, only to be awakened by an annoyed Lucius who planned to give them both a surprise trip to Diagon Alley, which consequently included him waking them up very early in the morning. 

~

Lucius entered Draco's room first, a grin set on his face as he imagined the surprise that would appear in both of Draco's and Harry's eyes when they found out that _both were allowed to come with him, especially Harry who has never been allowed to set foot out of the manor's grounds until today. He poked his head in, mouth already started to speak when suddenly he chocked back his words and stared at the two lumps sleeping in the bed and the two wolves curled up around each other at the foot of the bed. _

He blinked and felt the beginnings of annoyance stirred within him as he sighed and suddenly shook his head, looking remarkably amused at the spectacle. So they have been sneaking off to each other's beds hmmm? Well he'll put a stop to that, it wasn't befitting for a Malfoy to need to sleep in someone else's bed, it made him seem weak, as if he needed to. 

His mouth twisted wryly when he saw that even the two wolf pups didn't awaken, some protectors they were indeed if they wouldn't wake up to the sounds of an intruder. Granted, it wasn't as if any was going to come into the manor and live, but still, it was the _principle of things that mattered. Idly he made note to train both the wolves as well, for that was to be a skill handy for the boys later on. _

Finally he cleared his throat loudly, eyes narrowing a bit when he saw both Harry and Draco sleep through that as well… though Tyr and Ayrin did twitch their ears and move a bit in response to the sudden nose. Finally he sighed and spoke loudly, "Well, well, what do we have here?" He carefully made sure that his voice was only slightly irate and that his stance was partially tensed, it would do well for him to get the boys worried for a bit, no matter how amused he really was over the situation. 

Harry bolted awake first, his brilliant green eyes clouded with sleep, which was rapidly clearing up and becoming replaced with panic. He froze when he saw Lucius and squeaked, loudly, and turned to Draco, shaking the boy's shoulder rapidly, "Dwaco!" He cowered under Lucius' intense look and huddled in the sheets, looking as forlorn as he could. 

Ayrin and Tyr both jolted awake and whimpered softly when they saw Lucius' black look flicker over to them. They slunk down and seemed to try to hide in the large sheets, Tyr had his head stuck in a small hole, and seemed to think if he couldn't see the 'tall alpha' then Lucius couldn't see him. 

Draco on the other hand, woke up languidly, blinking several times before regaining his bearings. He looked towards his father and whined, "I'm sleepy!" Beside him, Harry looked at him in surprise and hid behind him, a soft giggle erupting from his throat. Draco favored him with a confused, yet amused, look, before looking at Lucius and demanding, "Go 'way!"

The man rolled his eyes at his son's regal bearing and grinned in response, saying coyly, "And I guess that means you two don't want to go with me to get your wands?" He didn't even both trying to hide his smirk at the twin shock looks that flashed onto his face.

"Really?!" Harry asked excitedly, his emerald green eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. For as long as he could remember, both Draco and he wanted one of those wooden stick things that Lucius and Narcissa had… and had been bugging for one as long as they could remember. As if in reply to Harry's joy, Ayrin relaxed and gave a soft bark, bounding over to the man and sniffling around him. 

"Yes, really… and before we go, I have a present for you Harry… and we are going to have a little talk about your sleeping arrangements." A faint smile appeared on Lucius' face when he saw both little boys faces brighten and then crumble under his last statement, they had thought that Lucius wouldn't notice… how they thought that, Lucius wasn't sure, but it was endearing nonetheless. 

Both boys looked at each other and sighed, it seems as if their days of sleeping next to each other were over. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hehe ^^; So I decided to keep them five for a little bit longer before skipping around ages. And look! *gasp* I started to incorporate more signs of a plot! Whee! ^___^;; (You must all think that I'm crazy) Oh yeah, my last poll… I didn't really word what I meant correctly (not to mention I have almost everything planned out now) and so I apologize for that. Not that it really matters now since I know what I'm going to do, hehe. Hmm… did you guys figure out what Lucius is going to do with Harry and Draco? I know! (then again, I'm the author heh) but I thought I left some really big clues… so you should figure it out before I tell all of you. Someone also asked if I had a yahoo group up yet… and now I'm wondering if I should get one. Then again, I don't want to start anything that nobody will be active in… then there would be no point. ^^;

Anyway, leave a review and I'll love you all forever. 

**Important: (I do a lot of these don't I? -.-;;) Anyway, what house should Harry go into? No, I don't want him in Hufflepuff, though you can vote on any of the other three lol. Draco is definitely going to Slytherin, no doubts about that and nothing is going to change my mind about it. I think Harry should go into Gryffindor… but I'll put it up to vote and let you guys influence my decision lol.**

~

My e-mail address is flyby311@hotmail.com and put Single Choice or fanfic or Harry Potter or something similar to that, so I know what the e-mail is about. Anything you want to add/criticize/comment/whatever you guys just review it… please? 


	5. Of Magic and Mishaps

A Single Choice

Chapter Five- Of Magic and Mishaps

By- IceWind

A/N: 

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything in its franchise is owned by J.K Rowling and whoever else has rights to the books. I have no claim whatsoever to the characters; the plot is entirely mine though, as is any new characters that I might introduce into the story. Rating is PG-13; though it may turn to R later.**

**Warnings: Probably slash in later chapters… which for those who do not know what that means, it means boy/boy, yaoi, shounen-ai, or homosexuals if you want to get technical. It's AU (alternate universe) Definitely AU; nobody could mistake it for anything else. I accept constructive criticism, and flames are fine as well just as long as you don't care if I write a reply, most probably sarcastic, unless you actually had a good reason… though that would probably go under the constructive criticism column and I wouldn't do anything but thank you. ^_^ **

Umm… I've been reading Aya (Ran)/Brad fics? (Weiss Kreuz, anime, damn hot guys *giggles*) Of course, it's just like me to choose such an undone pairing *starts sniffling* I'd choose Aya/Ken, but… I don't think that they'd be a good couple *gags at the thought* ^^; I have a thing for enemies being together, which is kind of obvious… Err… that's part of the reason why this is so late. *giggles* School sucks, burn it down and I'll make you a story ALL for you… (j/k, really… okay, only a bit)  And that's the rest of my excuse; I trust that I don't need to expand upon it? 

**The Kuro no Tenshi: *cackles* I know what your name means! *feels proud of herself* lol. Yeah, I'm obsessed with anime, can you tell? Anyway, thanks for reviewing. **

**Kimmy****: Haha, I strive to make it cute *sweatdrops* Ron… *shudders and keels over* my hate for him is only rivaled by my hate for Ginny *devil horns appear* But I'm not saying anything about the Ron, Draco thing with Harry. *smirks* Oh yeah, I'm evil. *pricks herself on one of her horns and wails* oww!**

**Kiko and co: Hmm… one vote for Ravenclaw *giggles* You… umm… love me? *sweatdrop* Err…  I'm fond of you too… *snickers* **

**Lilyana: *blinks at you* Original pets? Ehhhh? *ponders to self* Dunno what you're talking about *squee!* but why don't you tell me? Lol**

**Mindel: *giggles* You're welcome, thanks for reviewing. I just never wonder if I should continue on with writing these individual notes… but I like doing it personally. Hehehe. Mmm… Lucius CAN be a bastard at times… but other times I'm fond of him. *smirks* Pups? Significance? Maybbee….**

**Tima: *grins* I suppose another one for Slytherin. Your fic? Why not, though next time when asking *grin slightly* I wouldn't mind an original review? *sweatdrop* Umm… you know what I mean; I kinda saw the same one on different stories. *giggles* ah well… **

**Watson: *smirks* Hmm… you're thinking like me! ^__^**

**Fanny chan: Original? Eh, personally I don't think so *looks sad* but hell, if you think so then I'm happy! *grins* Ah ahahaha… another Gryffindor vote! Yay! I got your longest review ever! *throws a party***

**Fireangel: Haha… but I think Lucius is trying to break them out of the habit of sleeping with each other *pouts* Silly Lucius.**

**Cynic: *large sweatdrop* But ponies are too big! *twitch* Okay, so I was thinking of getting Draco a dragon before… ^^; Snape… hahaha, this is gunna be fun.**

**Maria: *grins* It may or may not be Harry and Draco. I'm only considering one other pairing with Harry and someone else… but I'll come to make that decision when they grow older, no hormones yet at 5 *pokes them* Lol, but it does seem to be turning into a Harry/Draco fic…*large sweatdrop* Do you know how completely close you are with your guess? Eh heh, heh, heh… ^^; And I like reviews, so keep writing if you want. ^__^**

**Carneol: White clothes? SQUEE! I know those people! ^__^ lol, j/k, not crazy… err not yet I think anyway. Yeah bad guys are just sexy aren't they? I like slash as well… hell, can't read a HP fic without some form of slash or no pairings at all *twitch* Soo… a vote for Slytherin? *jots it down***

**Xamona: Entirely plausible huh? *smirks and proudly beams* I try to keep a degree of realism… as realistic you can get with Harry Potter and magic and stuff lol. Hahaha… I scared you? My dear girl, you do not know how scary I can be… *cackles insanely* Ok, ok *calms down* ^^; Thanks for reviewing.**

**Laura Holmes: *cackles* and the SECOND person to figure it out! ^__^ Shh! Don't tell anyone else!**

**Atly: Wow, long review, I love you. *sweatdrop* Okay, I'm fond of you, perhaps not 'love' ^.~ Hehehe, I plan for LOTS of angsty goodness… after a bit more fluffy chapters of course. ^^; these things have to have a logical procession you know? Can't have angst pop out of nowhere! There are more than one reason for Harry to go into one house or another, perhaps it has something to do with Lucius' plans later on? *shuts up and smiles pleasantly* Mmm… I made up my decision on when the boys are going to Hogwarts, let me say that you'll all be surprised *looks utterly smug* Another thing… you are assuming, my dear girl, that Dumbledore is going to know that Lucius is Harry's guardian *grins* perhaps, perhaps not, let's see how the dice rolls, ne? I'm not yet sure if it's going to be a Draco/Harry fic… mmm actually, I'm leaning towards there, but I can't forget about… *shuts up again***

**Jalee: *blinks several times and cowers* Don't hurt the authoress! She does nothing but writes what her mind tells her to write! *looks up at you timidly* Umm… if it makes you feel better, I can make a cold Draco later on… *grins knowingly* but… ah, not saying anything more on that subject. *straightens* Goodie! Not a flame! *giggles* Yeah, I know this young age is embarrassing, but it is enquired for the plot… soooooo *grins* you are stuck with them at the age of five for a few more chapters… 1 or 2, possibly 3, before I bump them up. Mmm… I don't have the ending completely worked out yet, but I hope it's going to be a good ending *snickers* and this is gunna be one long fic *sweatdrops* at the current rate I'm going at, I'm going to be done around 40 chapters, rough estimate of course. *grins* Personality altercations? *smirks* You forget my dear friend, that they still have to grow up. ^__^ who _knows what can happen to them while they are… other than me of course! *cackles*_**

**Rainyday88/Raiyden Seth/Caelestis/Samantha/Melanie/Zipzoey/Lady ****Phoenix**** Gryffindor/npetrenko/starsong: lol, thanks. **

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A sigh escaped Lucius' lips and he said one more time, "No, you may not. It's not seemly for a Malfoy." He was faced with twin pouts and he resisted the urge to rub his head, or bang it against a wall… or chuck the two little boys out the window. Not only would that make a mess, but Narcissa would be greatly displeased, and that was never good. 

"But I'm not a Mawfoy!" Harry chirped up brightly, a bright gleam in his emerald green eyes, "So I can go in with Dwaco! He doesn't have ta' do it! 'Sides… I almost always go!" He beamed from his place at Draco's side, clinging to the other boy's sleeve as if afraid that they'll be separated. Ayrin laid by Harry's side, the black pup looking upon the proceedings with little interest. 

"…" Lucius nearly rolled his eyes before restraining himself from the un-Malfoy like gesture. He couldn't seem to understand the need the two boys had for each other, it was not the norm and most definitely not behavior befitting for a Malfoy… no matter how cute the duo could be. He looked at their shining eyes and felt like a, a… bastard. Yup, that was what he felt like. Ugh, especially with what's coming up… why couldn't Narcissa do this? Finally he settled for shaking his head, face perfectly composed, "No. Now come along, I need to give Harry his birthday present and we need to get going." With that, he turned around and walked towards the study, the sound of following footsteps following him. 

Draco scowled slightly at his father's back and looked towards Harry, who was walking next to him. He raised a small hand and brushed it through his hair in an irritable manner, finally sending to the boy next to him, _-Not fair- His white pup ghosted along silently next to him, Tyr's pale eyes looking around idly. He too, was disappointed that he couldn't sleep with his brother anymore, but he took it in stride, they were only puppies of course and got over such surprises much faster than some may think. Besides, they could always see each other, right?_

_-I know… but we get to go the Diagon Alley! You told me so much 'bout it, but I've always wanted to see it myself!- Harry's mind voice chattered on excitedly in Draco's head, resolving to face the problem Lucius represented at a later date. The main reason why he was so excited was that he was never allowed to leave the manor… ever, while Draco was allowed to accompany Narcissa and Lucius on small trips, in fact, it was expected of the young heir. Always, Draco told Harry stories about the world outside the manor, but… it just wasn't the same as experiencing it all himself. _

A faint smile curved on Draco's face as he reached down absentmindedly to curl his fingers in Tyr's fur as he walked. _-And father said that he's going to give you a present for your birthday! But isn't that next week? Wonder what he got you…- The small boy's silver eyes fixed onto his father's back, a contemplative look rising within them before it was banished by a flash of joy over the prospect of visiting Diagon again. _

_Why do you not just ask the tall alpha? Ayrin's mind-voice flashed across the boys minds lazily, Tyr listening in. The ebony pup wiggled his tail and pranced in place, seemingly pleased with his sage advice that he could give his pack mates. _

A quick mental affirmative touched the pup's mind and Harry piped up cheekily, "What did you get me?" He spoke carefully, enunciating each word perfectly as he put on his most adorable face that he could. Idly he wondered why it seemed to take longer than necessary to get to the study, but he dismissed it from his mind briefly after the thought, deciding the manor was playing tricks again… silly manor. He strove to widen his eyes when Lucius turned around to look at him, and the man regarded him carefully for a moment.

 _…Sometimes I think they give me these sorts of faces on purpose. Deciding that it wasn't going to work this time, Lucius graced the boy's with a faint smile, shaking his head, "You shall find out in the study," he paused and suddenly looked around, "That is, if the manor decides to let us get there in the first place." At the fringes of his awareness -knowing that the boys could feel this as well- he felt the house give something akin to a sigh (if a house could sigh) and an assent. _

Suddenly they took a right turn and in front of them were the study doors, which Lucius opened, waving for the boys to follow after him. "Hurry up now." Inside, Narcissa was sitting down on an elegantly carved chair, facing a fire, her features calm and thoughtful. She was absentmindedly played with the edge of the silk chair covers, feeling the sleek material slide under her fingers as she turned around to look at her son and Harry.

A smile lit up her face, making, what may be looked at as foreboding, features soften and turn lovelier than before. She eyed the two children and the Astrali wolves, speaking lightly to them all, "Are you ready?" The boys would be traveling through the floo network… a one-sided floo network that was hidden from the ministry's prying eyes. It was ridiculously easy to do; then again, the current Malfoy's weren't the ones who set it up. That was done years ago, near the time when the floo network was first invented. They would usually use apparating… but that was a bit more complicated and the boys might panic, especially Harry. 

Enthusiastic yeses greeted her, but suddenly Harry whirled around to face Lucius, his bottom lip sticking out as he spoke slowly, "I dun get a present?" He looked as forlorn as he could, huddling down in his black robes, eyes widening, his bottom lip trembling as if he was going to cry. Next to him, Draco looked on appreciatively, deciding to try to copy Harry's way the next time he wanted something… 

Lucius' eyes softened slightly at the face and he sighed, shaking his head ruefully as he flicked his wand. With the right gestures and a brief word, a silver box rose and fly towards Harry, letting the little boy catch it. "Hn, happy early birthday I suppose." His gray eyes held a brief look of smugness when Harry opened the gift and brought out a silver cloak…

The shining, silvery cloth was raised, beautiful. Harry touched it tentatively with a finger, feeling the material, strange, as if water was woven into the cloth. He turned it over and over in his hands, stroking it lightly while a puzzled look spread across his face. Finally he turned towards Lucius and spoke, "Pretty!" Next to him, Draco reached out a hand to touch the cloak as well, his bright silver eyes curious. 

"That's it?" Lucius asked idly, narrowing his eyes a bit. At the confused looks on the boy's faces he shook his head lightly and spoke again, "It is an invisibility cloak. Remind me to step up their training greatly, love, this is getting ridiculous." The last sentence was directed at Narcissa who nodded her head once, while looking at the children. 

"Ina… Invis…" Harry stumbled over the word and finally shrugged, putting on the cloak with a great flourish. He giggled softly to himself when he was completely covered with it, twisting around to look towards Draco as he chirped out happily, "How do I look?" A smile appeared on his lips as he felt the comforting darkness as he looked towards his pale companion.

"Hawwy?" A puzzled look crept onto Draco's face, "Where are you?" Lucius just looked smug while Narcissa seemed greatly amused by the entire event. The puzzlement swiftly turned into panic and the small boy turned wildly towards his father, yelping, "Hawwy's gone! Tyr! Find him!"

Even the wolf pups looked confused as Tyr hesitantly did what Draco told him, padding around and sniffing the ground before stopping in front of the invisible boy. He gave a soft bark and wagged his tail, cocking his slender head as he asked, _Why can we not see you? Next to him, Ayrin padded around and gently pulled on the edge of the cloak, exposing Harry's head and part of his right arm. _

Draco took a step back; eyes wide and horrified as he saw only a head and an arm floating in the air, he gave a soft shriek and stumbled back, "Hawwy! AHH!" He flung a frantic gaze towards Lucius, eyes incomprehensible. Meanwhile, Harry was looking terribly confused and considerably frightened by Draco's yell… 

A soft laugh escaped Narcissa's mouth and she walked over to Harry, gently tugging off the rest of the cloak in a flourish, revealing the boy. Immediately Draco seemed to calm down, even look slightly sheepish, and he gazed avidly towards the cloak and Harry, finally asking, "Hawwy… was there, but not… there?" He couldn't help but smile at Harry's continued puzzlement, sending to him, _-You were there, but after you put on that cloak, you weren't there… That was brilliant!-_

Immediately at that silent statement, Harry whirled towards Lucius with shining eyes, a wide grin set on his face as he jumped on the man and gave him a large hug before getting off and doing the same to Narcissa. He giggled within the circle of her arms and backed away, chirping out a happy, "Brilliant!" having copied Draco's word, "I wuv it!" 

Having been momentarily shocked by the sudden force of a hug and the just as fast the disappearance of said hug, Lucius shook his head lightly and strove to regain control of the situation, calling out imperiously, "Well, we have to go now. So hurry up and get your floo power boys… love, open the network while I get them both ready." Suddenly seeing two small arms fly out to grab their respective wolf's necks, he barked out, "Tyr and Ayrin stay at the manor!"

Not even the adorable pouts and puppy-faces the two gave him made Lucius sway in his decision, knowing very well what kind of trouble the two pups could get into with Harry and Draco commanding them. Now, if only there was a way to not have the pup's panic when they were gone… since the bond was relatively new, it was weaker than it will be and so the boy's could only hear their pups from a three-mile radius so far. That of course, would make both the animals and boys unhappy, but the boys would cope with it better than Tyr and Ayrin. 

"Now," Lucius spoke in a brisk tone, his gray eyes surveying the scene, "Let us depart. Hurry up now, you can meet back with the pups when you get home." His eyes pinned onto Harry's small form, mouth twisting slightly in vague amusement. "You, of course, are going to use the cloak now, remember Harry… you are _not allowed to have anyone see you or know that you are there. The only reason I'm bringing you today is to get your wand. When we get to Diagon Alley I want you to hold onto my robes… give it a tug every once in a while so I'm sure that you're there."_

Suddenly his expression sobered and his pale eyes swung over to his wife, "Narcissa… I want you to begin the preparations we spoke of last night." At her angered expression he grimaced slightly before his face became stern, "I'm not changing my decision, love." 

Both their eyes locked onto each other and Narcissa was the first to turn away, a brief flash of sadness passing through her eyes. Of course the boys were too caught up with their pup's laments to actually notice anything strange going on; they had their own problems as well. Finally it seemed as if they were all ready and Harry swept on his cloak, going to be the first one to get into Diagon Alley…

~

_-So many people…- Harry gave a soft whimper and buried his hands deeper into Lucius' robes, emerald green eyes wide with fright under the cloak. He took some comfort in the fact that he was invisible and nobody could see him, but… still, he had never seen more than three people at one time, this was a shock to his system. _

Silently Draco drifted back from his place at his father's side, walking next to Harry in hope that his presence would bring some measure of comfort to the boy. He couldn't hold out his hand, he couldn't touch Harry, in fear that someone may see it and think it was strange. Lucius kept walking up ahead, being reassured that the other boy was still there by the tug on his robes that came at a more regular pace than he had previously expected. 

Harry closed his eyes for a moment and suddenly stumbled on the road, catching himself quickly and walking closer to Lucius more than ever. _-Draco… are we there yet? I… don't like it here very much- Turning his head, he saw person after person walk pass him, other conversing, still more glaring covertly in the general direction of the Malfoys. Inwardly he wondered why they were looking at them with such dislike and glared back at them, comforted by the fact that he wouldn't be seen._

A faint sigh escaped the pale boy and he answered quietly, _-Yes, don't worry Harry… Father won't lead us astray- _

Silently Harry wondered about the change in Draco, the other boy seemed to serious, so commanding right now… He knew that he himself acted differently, but that was understandable, he was scared stiff of everything going around him right now. Suddenly his eyes darted to a nearby door, silently reading the word _Ollivander's and in smaller print, __Maker's of Fine Wands since 382 BC. Suddenly a thrill sped up his spine and a faint smile appeared as they entered the shop, his earlier fear being forgotten for his excitement._

A tinkling bell announced their arrival and Harry looked around with wide eyes, looking at the many wand boxes that littered the shop, piled up high one after the other. He gulped silently and wondered how they were supposed to pick and wand out of all of that. 

"Good morning, Mr. Malfoy… young master Draco," a soft voice intoned and Harry and Draco nearly jumped, only Lucius seemed not surprised to see the old man standing in front of them. "Tell me; are you here to obtain the young master's wand?" Strange silvery eyes, shades paler than Draco's own, took in the young boy before suddenly sliding over to the edge of Lucius' robes, eyes suddenly piercing, as if he could see Harry through the cloak.

In response to the look, Harry sidled closer to Draco, grabbing hold of the boy's arm while Draco seemed to pretend that nothing was happening. All he did was just look at Ollivander directly, before having to look away, fidgeting slightly with his own robes.

Lucius took it all in stride though, the familiar smirk rising up on his face as he spoke coolly, "Yes, and one for Mr. Potter as well." With that, he idly reached out a hand towards the area he knew Harry was supposed to be, felt the slinky cloth of the invincibility robe, and threw it off the boy, exposing him to the world. "I trust that I don't have to ask for you to keep your discretion?" He spoke that lazily, his tone belying the sharpness of his gray eyes. 

He knew very well that Ollivander catered to both light and dark wizards, in fact, that was one of the things the shop prided itself upon, its complete neutrality to either side. While those on the light side may frown upon his methods, Ollivander knew that they wouldn't say anything about it, it was tradition for wand makers to be neutral in all cases, they concerned themselves with pairing up the best wands to their owners. Anything else was a technicality and not subject to be considered in the wand process selection. In fact, there was a recent outburst on how wands should have some sort of trackers placed upon it, something Ollivander stood against firmly. Lucius fondly remembered those Ministry idiots getting dressed down by a very angry wand maker, sharply cutting through any attempt they made for a defense. He just loved seeing those whelps squirm in front of the old man. Neutral… very few things in this world was neutral anymore; they either had hidden allegiances or were staunchly defending one side or another. Lucius knew it was foolish to try to say that that Malfoys were neutral, even in their stand against Voldemort they would most likely be classified on the side of Dark… but he was much closer to the neutrality point than some might believe. Besides, it amused him to see others cower before him, what would be the point of trying to say that he was 'good' -which he was clearly not- when he would miss amusing sights like Arthur Weasley growling at him yet not being able to do anything? 

Harry felt exposed and he flinched slightly under Ollivander's look, not knowing why he felt so uneasy. He pressed closer to Draco's side and spoke out softly, putting on a brave front, "Hello." He enunciated the word perfectly, drawing strength from the silent boy beside him, fiery emerald eyes locking onto the other man's face. 

"Of course not, Mr. Malfoy, you know the nature of the Ollivander family very well… exploited it at times," he smiled thinly at the man, but seemed to bare no sign of a grudge against him. "Then again, it is in your nature to do so, so do not question mine." Lucius just nodded once and then the old man turned towards Harry. 

"Ah yes," he spoke softly, reaching out a hand to trace the scar that was on Harry's forehead, "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter. Mister Malfoy has hinted to me about you." He smiled slightly, his eyes holding a far away look as he intoned, "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work. Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it—it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."

Harry felt some stirrings of fear and he stammered out, "How do you know me?" 

The old man silently traced the scar once more before his hand dropped down, eyes locking with Harry's. "I sold the wand that did it. Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful. I remember every wand I ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand." Suddenly he turned away and looked towards Draco, "You are unmistakably a Malfoy. You get your hair color from your father, eyes as well, though yours is a few shades paler, a most distinct silver. You get your facial features from your mother though, sharp, distinctive, high cheekbones. Thirteen inches, bendable. It was made of cherry wood, nice for arithmancy. But I digress… " Suddenly he pulled from his pocket a long tape measure with silver markings, "Young master Draco, which is your wand arm?"

Obligingly Draco held out his right arm, "My right." 

Quickly Ollivander measured him, shoulder to finger, wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knew to armpit, and around his head. As he worked, he spoke to both Harry and Draco, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand." Abruptly he turned away from Draco and started rummaging through the wand boxes, letting the tape measure finish measuring itself.

"That will do," he said absentmindedly and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor, "Try this one, young master. Oak and unicorn hair, ten inches, rigid. Give it a wave now." The old man took half a step back, eyes narrowed slightly in thought.

Draco hesitantly took the wand and looked at it for a bit, aware of Harry's envious eyes and Lucius' mildly curious ones. He waved it around for a bit and it was snatched out of his hands quickly by the sprightly Ollivander. "Wha?" 

_-I dunno if I like this guy, Draco. He's scary!- Harry's eyes alternated between watching Ollivander and watching Draco, a pensive expression on his small face as he looked up towards the completely calm Lucius. The sight of Lucius' tranquil face reassured him and he leaned back slightly and patiently waited his turn._

Draco waved a few more wands, each one being snatched away quickly, as he replied, _-Father doesn't seem to mind… But I don't like him much either, Harry. I wish Tyr and Ayrin were here- He felt Harry's assent before suddenly Ollivander's voice pulled him back to the present._

"Ten and a half inches, yew, dragon heartstring, pliable."

Silently Draco took the wand and felt warmth sparking through his body, a faint smile appeared on his face and he swished the wand lazily in the air, feeling and seeing the delicate silverish -a blend of dark silvers and light ones- streams swirl through the air, elegant and beautiful. Automatically he said, "Mine," just as Ollivander began to speak once again.

"Excellent! Very good, young master, very good. Powerful as well, very powerful, it seems like a good match to me." As Draco beamed, Ollivander turned to look towards Harry, and inclined his head slightly, "Mister Potter, I believe that it is your turn. Which is your wand arm?" 

Eagerness lit up Harry's face when he heard all of the mental things Draco began to say about his wand. He reached out with his right arm and piped up, "My right!" Young excitement replaced his fear temporarily and he grinned brightly as Ollivander began to measure him, just as he did Draco. 

"Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave." His curious eyes pinned onto Harry's small form, though his stance was relaxed.

Harry took the wand and felt slightly foolish as he waved it around, but wand shop owner grabbed it out of his hand almost at once. 

"No, no, that won't do—here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out." 

Harry tried, and tried. He wished that he could have been as fast as Draco had been -though at the time he thought it had taken an extraordinary amount of time, twenty minutes actually- and the pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher, until it surpassed the amount that Draco had tried and kept on going. It was strange though, the more wands Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.

"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find a perfect match here somewhere – I wonder, now – yes, why not – unusual combination – holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple." 

The slightly distressed boy took the wand and immediately felt warmth spread across hid fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. Draco laughed and clapped and Ollivander spoke out cheerfully, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well… how curious… how very curious…" He reached out and took Harry's wand and wrapped it in brown paper, taking Draco's and doing the same, still muttering, "Curious… curious…"

"What is curious?" For the first time in the long time they had been in the shop, Lucius spoke up, gray eyes looking at Ollivander sharply. Next to him, Harry piped up with the same question, mimicking his guardian. 

The old man fixed on Harry his pale stare, almost ignoring Lucius in favor of the small boy. "I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter, do you recall me saying that?" At Harry's nod, he went on briskly, "It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather – just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother – why, its brother gave you that scar." 

Harry squeaked softly and abruptly reached up to finger his scar, eyes large and wondering with faint fear mingling with the wonder. How did Ollivander know how he got his scar… was it because of Lucius? Draco pressed his hand into Harry's and took it, glaring at Ollivander slightly for making his friend feel uncomfortable.

"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember… I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter… and young master Malfoy. After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things – terrible, yes, but great." 

Suddenly Harry's eyes blazed with anger, knowing that Draco was bristling as well, his glare towards Ollivander vicious. "I am not like _Voldemort!" He hissed out to the surprised man. It was curious how he didn't slur or mispronounce the Dark Lord's name, "I am gunna huwt him! I—"_

He was abruptly cut off by Lucius' voice, "We must take our leave. How much, Ollivander?" He brought out his money book, pretending that Harry didn't have a short outburst, wasn't still glaring. _It was expected of course, he reflected idly to himself, __of all of the things we have taught the boys so far, Voldemort was the one taught the most. How much the Malfoy family has suffered under him, pride been hurt… That half-muggle will pay, and pay dearly indeed. He nearly sneered at the thought of Voldemort being a half-muggle Tom Riddle. It had taken many years just to obtain that bit of information, and he wondered how he'll use it to his advantage._

Swiftly Ollivander recovered and a faint smile stretched on his lips, "No, you are indeed not like him. Do not worry, Mr. Potter, you will fair well in the coming years." He turned towards Lucius, "Fourteen Galleons, seven for each wand." As Lucius paid, Harry got under the invisibility cloak once again, though Ollivander imagined that he could see those luminous green eyes staring at him. As the family left, he bowed, expression serious and contemplative.

~

As they went outside, Lucius said lightly to Draco and Harry, knowing it would only seem like he was speaking to his son, "I think it's time for you to get an owl." He smirked at the eager expression that appeared in Draco's eyes, knowing very well that Harry had the same one mirrored on his face. "I think that Eeylops Owl Emporium would be the best place. Come along now."

Harry smiled brightly, his encounter with Ollivander sliding from his mind as he gripped Lucius' robes and held on, tugging every once in a while and bouncing along merrily, deciding to ignore all of the people around him and focus on Draco and Lucius. Suddenly they came in front of a large shop, and as he peered through the windows, he saw large glittering eyes stare back from a dark environment. Harry suppressed a shudder and bravely went in with Draco and Lucius to obtain their owls. 

"Mister Malfoy! Young Master Malfoy! It's a pleasure to see you both again!" A thin man with an earnest face appeared, his eyes darting towards them with slight fear. He seemed much different from Ollivander and Harry and Draco were silently relieved over this fact, though Harry wondered why Draco and Lucius seemed so scary to the man.

"Hn, as I am sure it is for you, Eeylop." Lucius smirked towards the man, looking around at the caged owls with a thinly veiled annoyed expression. "I have decided to get two different ones today, one of them for my son. Where are your eagle-owls?" He inclined his head towards Draco, who seemed to draw himself up straighter, the small boy's face eerily placid and calm. He was definitely well trained to perform in outside settings.  

Eeylop nervously rubbed his hands together, darting a glace towards a back section in his shop as he started to walk forward, asking absently, "Why two then? I would think you would only need…one…" He trailed off at the glare Lucius sent him and shook his head, stammering out quickly, "Never mind, Mister Malfoy. Just musing out loud you know."

Satisfied for the moment, Lucius ignored the man, looking down at his son as he watched Draco start forward with an eager expression, running his eyes over the owls with a faint smile on his lips. The light blond haired boy pursed his lips slightly and ran his eyes across each owl, while Harry silently detached himself from Lucius' robes to go around wandering the shop by himself.

Bright emerald eyes looked at each owl with curiosity, moving from owl to owl, screech, eagle, barn… many different types he passed. They hooted softly in the darkness, feeling his presence though not seeing him. Suddenly he stood still and smiled widely, looking at a gorgeous young snowy owl. Silently he moved closer to the cage and whispered, "Hi."   
  
The owl looked at him with large amber eyes; she hooted softly and flitted closer to him, eyes peering and inquisitive. She flared her wings out slightly and Harry chuckled quietly, clapping his hands in delight as he sent to Draco, _-I found one! She's pretty… Get Lucius, please!-_

_-Where are you, Harry?- Draco had finally picked out a young male eagle owl, the austere owl looking at him with vague affection as his beak nibbled on the cage bars. Finally getting Harry's position, Draco tugged on Lucius' robes, his voice cheerful as he spoke, "Father, this way!" Silently he turned away and padded towards Harry, a curious Eeylop and Lucius trailing behind him. The young boy's silver eyes took in the snowy owl and he sent absentmindedly, __-This one? Kind of… scrawny, don't you think?-_

He could just imagine the glare that Harry must be sending him, and giggled softly, pointing up towards the snowy owl. "Father, get that one as well, please." He sent his most charming look towards Lucius, eyes growing slightly wide, ready to pout if Lucius even looked to be saying a 'no'. A faintly pleased look appeared as Lucius nodded curtly towards Eeylop.

"That one as well then," Lucius spoke briskly, taking out his money book again and raising and inquiring brow towards the surprised Eeylop, knowing he was surprised because for the first time Lucius bought an owl other than an eagle owl. He suppressed a smirk and asked archly, "How much for the owls and the cages?"

 The man seemed to start and smiled nervously, "For you Mister Malfoy, only a mere thirty Galleons and twelve sickles." As he took the money, he handed the cages with the owls, to Draco. The small boy struggled silently with the cages as Harry wished he could help his companion, knowing very well that he couldn't.

With a last nod towards Eeylop, Lucius casually leaned down and picked up the snowy owl's cage, ignoring her hoots and they walked out. As he walked out, he muttered softly to Draco and Harry, "I'm going to have to get a few things before we return to the manor. Hurry up now."

~

Harry was lost. He looked around with tremulous eyes and whimpered softly to himself, darting into a nearby shop to avoid being trampled by some unaware person. He lamented to himself, once again trying to reach Draco with his mind, eyes closing briefly as he did so. It didn't work… he was too far out of range without his wolf with him, he couldn't reach Draco.

How did he get lost? Well, it was a funny story really… if you looked at it that way. He had so busy staring at his owl, while trying to come up with a name for her, that he didn't watch where he was going and tripped over a curb. The small boy had fallen down and had momentarily gotten tangled in the invisibility cloak -it was a rather large cloak- causing him to slip very far behind. When he had finally gotten untangled, he saw -or rather he thought he saw- both Draco and Lucius at the end of the road. So he had bolted forward towards them, only to find out that it _wasn't them. He hadn't thought to call out to Draco, rather determined that he would find the errant boy and man himself. _

Which had gotten him into this predicament. By the time he had actually thought of calling to Draco with his mind, he found that they were already too far apart for him to do so. With his wolf beside him, it would have been easier and most probably he would have reached the other boy, but without Ayrin… well it was a whole other story.

Even with the cloak he felt exposed and he huddled down further, trying to scoot to a nearby corner of the shop, silently wiping his eyes with the corner of his robe, not noticing that it came away damp. _Where are they? He moaned piteously in his mind, __Where is Draco? Draco!! Harry wrinkled his nose when the smell of the shop finally hit him through his depressed thoughts, it smelled like bad eggs and rotten cabbage mixed together. _

Finally he looked up and gaped slightly, eyeing the different things that littered the shop. Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powered lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung from the ceiling. Idly Harry examined some silver unicorn horns with before he scooted back quickly towards the rear of the shop when some people suddenly appeared.

"Oof!" 

In his haste to escape the other people, it turned out that he had crashed into someone else; causing that someone else to drop the books he was carrying. Harry squeaked softly and huddled down further in his cloak, wishing desperately that the man just thought that this was an accident. He looked up frightened, and his eyes widened slightly.

There stood a young man about the age of twenty-five, tall, with slightly greasy looking, long hair that was tied back into a ponytail. He had a pale complexion, his nose slightly hooked, eyes a cold ebony color, disclosing nothing. He wore jet black robes and was currently looking straight at the spot Harry was, his eyes narrowed in contemplation before he snarled out, "If that is your idea of a joke—" His voice trailed off because he had yanked off the invisibility cloak, showing the young Harry.

"What the…?"

It seems that Harry has met Severus Snape, youngest potion master in more then two centuries, Potions professor in Hogwarts, and spy for Dumbledore.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*cackles* Sev! ^___^ If you guys haven't figured it out that I happened to like the potions master, well then, I suppose it's understandable. *looks thoughtful* but you should have guessed since I happened to like Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy… not to mention Draco. XD Anyway, he hasn't let himself go yet in my fic :P Hell, he's only 25 or so. Okay, I'm probably screwing up his age, but I don't really know how old he is and can't be bothered trying to calculate it all.

Have you noticed that this chapter is much longer than the last ones? *squeals* It's my apology for taking so long lol. Forgive me yet? I promise that the next chapter will be out sooner… *sweatdrop* Okay, so I can't promise that, but I'll sure as hell try okay? Mmm… another thing, I don't know if Ollivander is going to become important later in the fic, though it seems that Lucius trusts him somewhat. *grins evilly* I'm not saying a word because I don't really know myself, and I'm the author! How sad is that? Have you guys noticed all of the lines I took from the book (the first one) for this chapter? ^^; Sure I expanded on some parts, switched some things around, but you can tell right? Hehehe… 

Anyway, please review, who knows? Perhaps the more reviews there are I may update faster *winks* Now if that isn't incentive… dunno what else I could do, hehe. 

**Important: Final Fantasy 7 or Final Fantasy 8? No it doesn't pertain to this story, but… it's for something else. *snickers* Oh and for you who don't know what the hell that is, they are both video games, EXCELLENT video games I may add. ^^; (I guess I'm going to do one of these poll things every time I post… hehe) **

~

My e-mail address is flyby311@hotmail.com and put Single Choice or fanfic or Harry Potter or something similar to that, so I know what the e-mail is about. Anything you want to add/criticize/comment/whatever you guys just review it… please? 


	6. Meeting Severus

A Single Choice

Chapter Six- Meeting Severus

By- IceWind

A/N: 

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter and everything in its franchise is owned by J.K Rowling and whoever else has rights to the books. I have no claim whatsoever to the characters; the plot is entirely mine though, as is any new characters that I might introduce into the story. Rating is PG-13; though it may turn to R later.

**Warnings:** Probably slash in later chapters… which for those who do not know what that means, it means boy/boy, yaoi, shounen-ai, or homosexuals if you want to get technical. It's AU (alternate universe) Definitely AU; nobody could mistake it for anything else. I accept constructive criticism, and flames are fine as well just as long as you don't care if I write a reply, most probably sarcastic, unless you actually had a good reason… though that would probably go under the constructive criticism column and I wouldn't do anything but thank you. ^_^ 

Eh… I really ought to start putting up the results of the polls or something? *sweatdrop* might as well. Err, all of them are still ongoing except for the animal one since it's kind of obvious what happened *giggles* _Gryffindor- **10, _Slytherin_- ****10, _Ravenclaw_- **4**. Right, so you see that Gryffindor and Slytherin are tied! But something will happen later on that might influence your voting *evil cackle and thunder booms, while I smile innocently after insane laughter* Anyway… *regains composure and gives you all admonishing looks* You're all sickos! (j/k) You all want Draco and Harry paired up and they're only five so far! *giggles* It's okay, really, but I'm not putting up THAT poll up until later *smirks* Let's see how you'll act when you find out what happens in the next couple of chapters…**_

**Grey Malfoy:** Fun? *giggles* I hope so I suppose.

**Death_floats: **The _best AU fic? *starts to blush* And don't worry, I won't take their powers too far ^^; At least I hope I won't *sweatdrops* _

**Kcgal:** Zell? You like ZELL? *makes gagging noises* okay, okay, I'm done *sweatdrop* Err… sorry? I like Squall myself… *glomps him* So I'm not the only one where all this lisping is getting on my nerves! *cackles and sweatdrops again* I know, I write the stuff, but still lol. Bad news is I have to keep going for at least 2 or 3 more chapters before I can have them grow up a bit more. Quite a bit of plot development is still going on before they get to the main portion of the story. And yes, of course, I'm going to slash this. ^_^;; If I wasn't going to slash this then there would be no pairings at all *looks thoughtful* eh heh…

**Youko Gingitsune:** ooo *winces* Guess you're going to hate him then! *smirks* Now shhhh! And there IS a reason why he's going to do it… but, yeah, not going to say anything.

**AnaRae:** Yay! Someone noticed how much I like detail! *twitches* lol, sometimes I get excessive so I try not to pore in too much. Novel length fic eh? And here I could spend all of that time writing a REAL novel *giggles* But this fic is going to be long… here I am on the 6th chapter and they aren't even 7 yet! 

**Lilyanna: **Ahh… THOSE thingies. ^__^ *giggles* Silly person! They weren't pets! Just figurines… which may be important later on *shifty eyes*

**Barbara:** Soon enough for you? ^^;

**Cindy:** aww… I wouldn't know about it being one of the best though ^^; But I'm fond of it *giggles and hugs it* 

**Xamona:** *smiles sheepishly* I had fun writing that part actually.  O.O; You chocked on your snickers? Don't sue me! *cowers* hehehe. Nah, I understood you, I have a talent for understanding that which usually isn't understandable *snickers* and if you can understand THAT then… *gives you a lollypop* 

**Fanny chan:** *giggles* I LIKE cliffhangers, they remind me where I left off in the story *large sweatdrop* But I'll try not to do them overly much… hopefully. I seem to do them a lot. 

**Chibi-Tenshi:** Cute name XD Little angel, hehehe… Probably Harry/Draco, not TOTALLY decided yet ^_^ Poor Lucius… hehe… but it may turn out to be a good thing *winks*

**Jalee:** Girl! Not man! *dies* hehehe ^^; Yeah, I'm not overly fond of a gushy Draco myself, but what can I say? They're kids! Sev… is gunna have a couple of nice shocks. 

**Nymphaline:** *giggles and gives a silly grin* So what if I entertained the idea of Sev and Harry together for a little bit… doesn't mean it's going to happen. Then again, it doesn't mean that it's NOT going to happen. *evil smirk* Okay, okay, truthfully? I think it's going to be a Draco/Harry fic, though I just might take a small poll to see what people think. Cho? EWWWW! *gags* lol, I don't really like her for some reason… and I abhor Ginny ^_^ Yay! You got the plan! *claps* See? I left LOTS of clues! *sweatdrops* Don't worry… I think? *grins evilly* Yeah, 40 chapters, I still haven't decided if I was exaggerating with that or it WILL be 40 chapters. O.O; 

**Sa/PissedOffEskimo(interesting name hehe)/cassie/Kimmy/Silver Angel/sk8reagle/Caelestis/Yanagi-sen/YuZira/Brooke:** Thanks for reviewing! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry blinked up at the man who uncovered him and gave a soft squeak in surprise, grabbing the invisibility cloak and tugging on it. "Give it back!" He muttered at Snape, uncertainty clear in his face and the way he stood. If Lucius found out about this… he'd be one dead little boy. He looked longingly at the cloak that was clutched in the man's surprised fingers, knowing he couldn't win using force. 

"What the hell…?" Severus looked down at the boy with surprise, ignoring the way the little creature tugged on the material in favor of studying the little boy in front of him. Wide, bright green eyes, small stature, slim… he seemed fey like, delicate bones, expressive face… and so utterly familiar that it grated on him that he couldn't remember where he saw those same features. The potion master gave a scowl, studying the untidy mop of ebony hair, the way the boy moved in front of him, and finally spoke. "Just what is one as young as yourself doing with an invisibility cloak? Unless you stole it -which I sincerely doubt- I have no other clue how you could have one." 

Slowly Harry blinked his eyes and gave a soft 'meep', scurrying back slightly so that his back was more against the corner of the wall. He didn't have a clue on what to do, how could he? The only people he had ever talked to in his entire short life has been Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco… unless of course you count the house elves that lived on the manor grounds, but they didn't really count since they never left the premises. 

"Well, boy?" The potion master held slight amounts of irritation in his voice, though he refrained from sneering and such, knowing that he was probably frightening the boy… and gods know that you can't get information out of someone scared stiff. 

Harry suddenly screwed up his courage and glared at Severus, proclaiming softly, "You said a bad word!" He smiled uncertainly at Severus' vague confusion and grinned even more when he saw the man at a loss for words. "So'k! I like you anyway! Luwcius sometimes say bad things too! 'cissa always tells him to…" he searched for the words silently before beaming happily, "shut up!" Narcissa, 'cissa, it was all the same to Harry, it was just bloody _hard_ to pronounce Narcissa's name! 

Only his eyes widening slightly gave any signs of what Severus was thinking and he swept the boy in another gaze, mind working frantically under this new predicament. Now he took in the simple, yet elegant, robes that draped the small frame, fabrics which were incredibly expensive to use on a young person who would just grow out of them soon enough. He eyed the shy way the boy moved and tried to equate that to Lucius Malfoy… and coming up empty. How? It couldn't just be a coincidence that the boy used Lucius… and what he thought was Narcissa, names and who else could it be but the Malfoys? …Not to mention those robes were extremely expensive and instantly reminded him of the smug blond that Malfoy certainly was.

He mused out loud to himself, "Didn't they have a son? Now what was his name…" Severus eyed the boy carefully, subtly fishing out information to confirm his beliefs. Just how could this slip past him? How utterly strange… he had never heard that Lucius and Narcissa had another in their keep, unless this boy was just visiting. 

"Drawco!" Was Harry's prompt reply before he suddenly clammed up when he remembered Lucius telling him not to talk to anyone… oops?

A faintly triumphant smirk touched Severus' lips as he got the confirmation that he was looking for, that it was indeed the Malfoy family. It disappeared swiftly and he narrowed his obsidian eyes towards the young boy, asking abruptly, "Who are you?" He tapped his fingers idly against his arm as he remembered those important books he was holding before…  

Immediately Harry shook his head and he clamped his mouth shut, refusing to say anything more until Lucius came with Draco… if they ever found him that is. At that thought his large emerald eyes got slightly watery and he sniffled a bit as he used the sleeve of his robe to wipe his nose.

A faint sigh escaped the man's mouth as he looked down at the sniveling boy. Indecision warred in his eyes as he took out his smooth wand, flicking it towards the books and muttering softly, "_Wingardium Leviosa._" The books floated up and sped towards him, which he caught easily and pocketed them almost absentmindedly, putting his wand back into his robe's sleeve. That done, he turned back towards the boy and nearly groaned, seeing those eyes just widen even more.

"No need to snivel," he muttered gruffly, not knowing how to comfort a little boy. He seemed slightly lost and rubbed the bridge of his nose lightly, suddenly spotting a strange lightening shaped scar just slightly off center on the boy's head. "What's this?" Severus stooped slightly and laid a surprisingly gentle hand on the boy, brushing up the locks of ebony hair as he peered at the strange looking scar, just as he was about to touch it, Harry tugged himself away with large eyes.

The small boy squeaked out softly, "Dun touch it!" He clapped his hands over the blemish and narrowed his eyes dangerously at Severus, hiding the scar out of sight. He shuffled slightly and darted his gaze towards the invisibility cloak once more, asking wistfully, "Can I have it back?" He suddenly was aware that he hadn't answered the man's question from before… and that he just spoke once again.

A faint smile tugged on the potion professor's face, but that disappeared as swiftly as it came and Severus straightened with an imperious look, mind still puzzling over where the boy could have possibly come from. "Not yet… perhaps soon if you tell me your name, and your parents names." Truth be told, he rather fancied having a nice long talk with the idiots who left their son all alone with such an expensive toy, didn't they know the dangers one that young had wandering by themselves? Utter fools.

Harry gave a longing look back towards the cloak, wishing to be hidden under the comforting darkness before he looked up to those placid eyes and gave a tentative smile. "My name is Hawwy!" He gave no thought of giving himself a fake name, though perhaps it was a good thing he didn't say his last name, "And I dun have pawents!" He smiled cheerfully at Severus and edged closer to the man and his cloak, "They ish dead."

Faint shock appeared in Severus' eyes at the matter-o-fact tone that the boy used when he said that his parents were deceased, but he swiftly concealed it, instead making his eyes half-lidded so that he appeared unaware and lazy. He drawled out lightly, "Oh? Well then… Harry, perhaps you can tell me who is taking care of you then?" He gave himself a mental smirk and cocked one brow at the boy, attentive to what he may say next. 

~

"Father!" Draco wailed softly, ignoring the strange looks he garnered from the passersby's who hurried swiftly away when Lucius gave them a vicious glare, "Where is Hawwy? I want Hawwy!" His perfectly combed hair was in slight disarray as he darted here and there to search for his errant friend, conveniently forgetting that Harry was supposed to be invisible and thus out of sight. 

Lucius' lips thinned slightly at the way Draco panicked, saying in a sharp tone, "Lower your voice! Calm down and we'll find him!" He noticed the way several people eyed them and mentally snarled his frustration. How could he lose a little boy like Harry? Granted, the boy always seemed to get into more trouble than anyone he knew, but still! He had tried every precaution -almost anyway- there was so that the boy wouldn't get lost! And now Draco was panicking, which didn't bode well at all… Draco almost never panicked over Harry; one would think that they knew everything about the other, even at opposite ends of the manor! 

The man saw his son continue to scurry about and narrowed his eyes slightly, Draco was ignoring the lessons he had drilled into him. He wasn't acting like a _Malfoy and people were beginning to notice. Suddenly he hissed out, striving to look calm, "Stop acting like that and get back here now!" His hand clenched tighter on the handle of the owls cages, ignoring their soft hoots._

At that tone of voice, Draco abruptly quelled his actions, walking meekly back to his father's side, chanting softly in his head all the rules about being a Malfoy… of which there was plenty. _Do not disrespect your father… loyalty to family above all… pride, one must keep their pride at all times… always come out on top, Malfoy's do not get second or last…_ he ran the familiar list of do's and don'ts over and over in his mind until he calmed down. _Do not trust unless you have good reason too… Malfoy's are loyal to those that deserve it… we are intelligent and quick witted at all times… we do not lose our composure…_ Those were only a few on a much greater list and he kept going on until he looked as calm as his father, though inside he was fidgeting like mad.

A faintly approving smile touched Lucius' lips and he gave a slight nod to his son, murmuring softly, "Very good… now do not worry, Draco, we shall find Harry and leave. He could not have left Diagon Alley… though it will be slightly hard to find him since he has that blasted cloak on him." Inwardly Lucius wondered if it was good or bad that he gave Harry the cloak. On one hand, it hid the small boy from sight; on the other hand, it made for finding the boy much harder than it would have been.

Draco fiddled with the edge of his sleeve before he released it and nodded at his father's words, deciding not to say anything yet. They walked swiftly through the alley and somehow hoped that Harry would see them and come back… Draco called out with his mind multiple times, getting more and more panicky inside when Harry hadn't yet responded until…

_-Draco!-_

Relief flared in Draco's mind and he clung to that mental voice, _-Harry! Where are you?-_ He looked around as if he could just see the dark-haired boy just pop up from out of nowhere, yet had no luck. Suddenly he darted a look at his pensive father and tugged briefly on the man's robes, causing Lucius to swing his gaze over to him.

"Yes Draco?" His tones were polite, calm, and courteous, as if nothing at all was wrong. The only thing that betrayed his feelings were the faint stirrings of concern in his gray eyes, but that too was concealed just seconds later. The snowy owl hooted when its cage jarred slightly and he swung a murderous gaze down towards it before looking back at his son.

Draco looked around carefully as he made sure that no one was paying too much attention on them, and tugged on his father's robe, whispering softly, "I found Hawwy." He spoke simply, keeping up a conversation with Harry at a same time. _-Well? Father is rather upset, you were supposed to stay with us!-_

He could almost imagine the cringe that the other boy made, as Harry swiftly sent back, _-I dunno… it smells bad though, Draco, and there is this man…- The mind voice halted for a moment, Harry never was adept at talking to two different people at the same time like he was, before it started up again, _-Apothecary, I don't know where that is though-_ The voice faded once again._

Suddenly Draco was aware of his father's curious gaze and Lucius finally spoke, "Where then, Draco?" He seemed rather impatient now that his son finally figured out where Harry was, eager to get to the little boy and whisk him off back home to the manor where it was safe. A perfect brow raised when Draco recited the answer Harry gave him, "The Apothecary? How in the world… never mind, hurry along now Draco." He set off in brisk steps towards the shop, nearing it swiftly and with a single minded intent of getting to a boy named Harry Potter.

~

"Well…?" Severus let a touch of impatience creep up in his tone as he looked down at the boy who seemingly blanked out for several seconds. His eyes studied the youngster with disguised curiosity… how long has it been since the last time he got a mystery like this? Faint bemusement appeared in his eyes when he saw Harry start and stare at him apologetically.

"Erm…" Silently the small boy debated what he should tell the other wizard. Well… considering how much he told the man already, it shouldn't hurt to tell him a bit more… right? He gave Severus an uncertain smile, "Luwcius and 'cissa of course!" Harry blinked at the momentary shocked look that flittered over the man's face and looked back towards the cloak, asking timidly, "Can I have that back now?"

The cloak slithered down towards the floor and Harry darted forward and grabbed a hold of it, wondering silently to himself whether to not to pull the cloak over his head… which probably wouldn't be polite to the man in front of him. He pouted to himself and just clutched the cloak to him, getting reassured just by it's presence as he finally asked, "Who are you?" Harry congratulated himself over the question, now deciding to obtain answers from the man instead of the other way around… how smart!

Slowly, a stunned expression still on his face, Severus answered absentmindedly, "Severus Snape…" He shook himself slowly and gave a narrowed stare at the boy in front of him, once again examining him. _How could Lucius Malfoy keep a child in hiding… as I am assuming he is,_ Severus wondered silently to himself, _without the world finding out?_

"Se-- Sev!" Harry finally decided upon, his small head tilting slightly to the side when he saw the man before him give him a searching look. Deciding that he felt uncomfortable, he clutched his cloak closer and gave a slight frown at Severus. "Stop looking at me like that!"

A faint frown touched his lips as Severus answered, "Do not call me 'Sev' bo--" he stopped abruptly at the miserable look Harry gave him and muttered, "Never mind then." At those words the boy in front of him brightened and he knew that he had just been conned… by a five year old no less! He sighed to himself and pressed on, "And how come I have never heard of another little boy living with the Malfoys?" It was doubtful that the boy really knew, but it was always possible and any answer would bring him closer to the truth, even if it was a lie, that was something he firmly believed in.

"Perhaps because the Malfoys do not want to tell anyone about the little boy?" Calm, slightly sarcastic, Lucius stepped towards them both with Draco walking fast on his heels. He raised a brow at Harry and ignored Severus for a moment in favor of the little boy, "Tell me now, what did I say about what you were supposed to do when we arrived at Diagon?" 

Harry looked at Lucius guiltily and sighed, giving a pout as he cast a forlorn look towards Draco who promptly answered with a tiny, sympathetic smile. "I… dunno?" He scuffed the ground with his shoe and wished fervently to dive back under the invisibility cloak where nobody could see him.

A slight pause came then and Severus wondered at the little scene, eyeing Lucius and Draco with some measure of surprise. He had been so engrossed in his questioning and the mystery the boy presented that he hadn't actually been aware of the duo approaching… ah well; perhaps he'll find out more now. He kept his mouth shut and just watched, eyes showing nothing of his emotions though he did make note of the fact that any people in the shop seemed to not even notice them… hn, interesting.

"You… do not know?" Lucius' voice was low and silky, his gray eyes pinned onto the small form with no hint of sympathy. "Really now, Harry?"

A wince appeared and Harry sighed and recited slowly, perfectly, "Keep the… cloak on at all times. Tug on your robes so you know that I am there. Do not go off by myself." He transfixed his emerald gaze on the floor, his bottom lip trembling slightly.

Suddenly a low voice caught all of their attentions, "Father, can we go home now?" Draco looked at Lucius with an odd expression before he swung his gaze over to Harry, expression turning pensive. He wanted to go for Harry's sake, that much was for sure, but didn't know how to act in a situation such as this.

Lucius was caught in making a decision, a very important one. For this isn't just about going home… no, it was what to do with Severus, how to clean this mess up, how to get the boys to forgive him later for what he was about to do in the coming month… He gritted his teeth slightly and swung his gaze over to Severus, letting a small smile appear, "Care to come with us, Severus? I assure you that I won't take much of your time." He had to take a chance, for without taking that chance, the entire plan was more than likely to fail, that plan that he and Narcissa painstakingly erected the first night they obtained Harry.

And just like that, Severus was the one to make the decision, for his answer would influence everything that would come next. He knew it, somehow, perhaps not all of it, but at least part of it. His gaze swung from Draco to Harry and then finally up to Lucius, pondering, before he finally gave the slightest of nods, his voice dry, "I suppose so."

And with those words they departed, Harry's cloak swirling around him as he disappeared under it.

~

"Where did he come from?" That was Severus' first question, calm, composed, showing none of the curiosity that lurked within him. They stood in front of the door to the study in the Malfoy manor… definitely not the real one of course, but he didn't know that. His gaze darted to the side when Harry reappeared, the little boy folding his cloak carefully before he turned assessing green eyes towards Lucius.

Suddenly the dark-haired boy darted forward and clutched Lucius' leg, deciding that since they were in the dummy manor and Lucius didn't tell the man he met to go away, that 'Sev' was fine and he could act like he wanted to act. He whimpered softly and buried his head into the folds of Lucius' cloak, muttering, "I'm sowwy, forgive? I won't do it again! Pwomise!"

Severus watched with vaguely shocked eyes as Lucius gave him a thoughtful look before smiling down at the little boy and petting the ebony colored hair absentmindedly, "Don't worry. We'll discuss this inside the study, hurry up now." Apparently he decided that if he came this far with Severus, that he may as well tell him some things about what was going on.

Lucius gently pushed Harry towards Draco, who immediately started to consol the boy, and pushed open the doors to the study, walking in and gesturing towards a seat for Severus as he took his own in a large, comfortable chair. He stared at the other man with the same thoughtful gaze from before, asking finally, "Where do you think? What has he told you?"

A suspicious look rose in Severus' eyes, but he answered easily, "His name is Harry… don't know his last name, but I know he isn't of you and Narcissa's get. Rather obvious really," he drawled out. "Parents are dead, he is living under your care, that's it apparently, seems he could be obscure when answering when he has to." He raised a brow himself when he saw that Lucius seemed to be breathing a sigh of relief, and moved on smoothly, "What I wish to know, Lucius, is why I have never heard of another in your care, that you haven't even mentioned it to the Dark Lord. Who is the boy really?" He failed to notice the way Harry and Draco both bristled at the words 'Dark Lord' their eyes swinging over to both adults.

A ponderous look stole over Lucius' face. He had two options, tell Severus to butt out- not in those words of course, or to tell him what was going on… albeit not everything. He and Narcissa did suspect that Severus wasn't as loyal to the Dark Lord as he may want others to believe, several actions of his pointed to that way. But Lucius had to give it to the man, he was very good at lying, at making up excuses, and at disappearing at the right times. 

Finally he spoke, "Since I rather not lie to you with such a delicate subject," he smirked at the inquiring gaze and disbelieving look, "I'll just say that I'm not telling you who he is and who is parents are. Better for all of us this way." He watched Severus' look turn calculating and moved on swiftly, "But what I say in this room is not allowed to be spoken to anyone else or anywhere else… not even to the Dark Lord."

Why? That was Severus' first thought and he moved his gaze over to the boys who were quietly watching them. He noticed the way Lucius deliberately left them in the room; he _wanted the boys to hear this conversation. But… why? He had a sinking suspicion that it was a question that he was going to ponder over many nights, probably not coming up with an answer until Lucius actually told him. Drat, he hated a problem, a challenge, that he could not solve. _

But now for the more immediate problem, should he lie and say yes? Tell Dumbledore, or perhaps Voldemort, about this later? Because there were no doubts in Severus' mind that he was going to say yes, no doubt at all. But somehow he suspected that Lucius would know if he told… Gods, why him? He knew Lucius well enough, actually respected the man, for contrary to what some may think, it wasn't only money that gave the Malfoys such influence. It was also their cunning, their ruthlessness, their ability to get jobs done with minimal fuss and making it seem effortless at the same time… one could not help but admire that in a person.

What bothered Severus the most though, was the fact that Lucius was hiding this from even Voldemort himself and that was something he didn't believe possible for the man. Lucius always seemed to be the perfect Death Eater, always following commands, killing who needed to be killed… Could he have been wrong with Lucius? It bore some thinking for later. So he spoke simply, "Why?"

Lucius gave a faint grin and nodded slightly in approval, "Because Harry is going to be something for the Dark Lord later… Have you felt his potential, Severus? It is very great… and with Draco as well.." Inwardly he smirked at his wording, so simple, and it would lead Severus to think one thing when the opposite was true. _A good lesson for the children, and with that thought Lucius turned his head slightly to look towards them, a slight smile of approval on his lips when he saw them both paying close attention. _

"…Yes…" Calm, composed, Severus gave his assent with a neutral face to hide his conflicting emotions on what to do now, though alarm was one of the predominant emotions. Lucius was going to give both boys over to the Dark Lord? 

A thoughtful expression entered Lucius' gray eyes and he spoke slowly, "You know that I have never been adept at potions and such, as much as it pains me to admit it, correct?" When he saw Severus' nod he continued, "Well, Narcissa and I are handling the rest of the boy's education quite well, and perhaps you'll stop by every once in a while, with prior notice of course, and help with the teaching? You can have part of the credit when I present them to the Dark Lord."

Severus frowned slightly, obsidian eyes thoughtful as they slid towards the two boys who were looking at him with eager expressions. He debated over his answer until finally… "Of course." There was some chance he could influence the boys decisions… yes, and he wouldn't tell anyone yet, not even Dumbledore. There were some things he rather keep secret and this seemed to turn out to be one of them. 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, I planned for this chapter to be MUCH longer and not so serious sounding… (since I plan to have the serious stuff for later) but I decided to post now and save me all of the trouble *grins* Just a thing, Dumbledore always pissed me off with his 'I know everything' attitude… probably the only one who thinks that, but… lol. ^^; But he's still an interesting character, just not my favorite, which is why he isn't going to know about Severus teaching the boys. 

Mmm… Just to tell you all that it may be a while until my next chapter because I REALLY have to get a chapter of Aether out… I've been neglecting that fic so much and it's almost done! So I'll get a chapter of that out and then I'll work on the next chapter of this, promise! ^__^ 

*pokes you all* Have you noticed that this chapter wasn't so fluffy anymore? The fluffiness will come back the next chapter *trust me I know* but then its gunna go bye-bye for a bit… I'm doing a logical procession of ideas and stuff, happy and light and it gradually turns darker, though I doubt this will become an extremely dark and angsty fic, I can never seem to keep writing just continued angst for some reason… but I do like reading it *giggles* 

Let's try to hit 115 reviews and I'll be happy k? I'll still post the next chapter if I don't get that many, but still… just had to ask ^__^; 

~

My e-mail address is flyby311@hotmail.com and put Single Choice or fanfic or Harry Potter or something similar to that, so I know what the e-mail is about. Anything you want to add/criticize/comment/whatever you guys just review it… please? 


	7. Bloody Hell, Married?

A Single Choice   
Chapter Seven- Bloody Hell, Married?!   
By- IceWind

  
A/N:   
**Disclaimer**: Harry Potter and everything in its franchise is owned by J.K Rowling and whoever else has rights to the books. I have no claim whatsoever to the characters; the plot is entirely mine though, as is any new characters that I might introduce into the story. Rating is PG-13; though it may turn to R later.   
  
**Warnings**: Probably slash in later chapters… which for those who do not know what that means, it means boy/boy, yaoi, shounen-ai, or homosexuals if you want to get technical. It's AU (alternate universe) Definitely AU; nobody could mistake it for anything else. I accept constructive criticism, and flames are fine as well just as long as you don't care if I write a reply, most probably sarcastic, unless you actually had a good reason… though that would probably go under the constructive criticism column and I wouldn't do anything but thank you. ^_^   
  
*hums merrily* I got the next chapter of my other fic up so now I get to do one of this one! *squeals happily and hugs it* This is my nice and fluffy chapter… err… well, sorta fluffy and nice anyway, at least in the beginning. ^^; I can't wait until I can bump up their ages… though I do have a way to get rid of those annoying lisps forever *chuckles evilly*   
  
**Youko Gingitsune**: Erm… *pats your back* right, one vote for Slytherin! *jots it down* Anyway… Lucius/Snape?! Lucius is quite happily married to Narcissa… though it does bring up some ideas *coughs and hits herself* Bad Icey!   
  
**coconut-ice agent h/h**: Fresh and new? *starts blushing* and here I thought these sorts of fics were overdone. Yeah, they're usually written as terrible parents and I decided that they'll be nice… sorta nice… well only nice to a select few while horrible mean and nasty to others (mainly Voldemort and the Weasleys) *giggles* It's not that I hate the Weasleys, but they ARE a pure-blooded family and still retains some principles.   
  
**Xamona**: *giggles softly and gives you a funny look* Silly! I'll try to insert more Word-Play-Lucius… though I'll have to strain my brain thinking up intelligent, sophisticated sounding words that he'll use x.x lol, j/k it's not that hard. Don't worry, I'll show you more action between characters *evil, devious grin*   
  
**Kcgal**: o.o;; Yes! I dislike Rinoa as well! *grins broadly* And Ginny… *snickers as she dumps the body into a river and whistles as if it never happened* Now that you mention it… Rinoa DOES remind me of Ginny! O.O EWWW! *evil laugh* no lisping in this chapter! *congratulates herself* I hated doing it… made me slow down in writing trying to figure out how to show it. Yuss, 40 chapters (I'm aiming for it anyway) ^_^; should take me a long time…   
  
**YuZira**: *gulps slowly and wails* Sorry it took so long! Dun hurt the writer! If you do then no more chapters! O.o;; And I really didn't think that was a cliffhanger… you should see some of the cliffhangers I leave on my other fics… *coughs*   
  
**Girl 17**: *smiles sheepishly* I do try to write a well-written fic that has some believable factors in it. And I completely agree with you about Malfoys, they can't just be mindless servants right?   
  
**Apostrophe**: *chuckles* You find out what Lucius is going to do in this chapter. And I think I'm keeping them young for just this chapter and the next before I start boosting up their ages (thank god). And how old? *grins evilly* can't tell you, it'll ruin some things I have planned… it may be 7, it may be 19, you'll find out when you find out! *feels evil*   
  
**Artemisu**: *grins* I don't know how much the money equaled to each other, but you must admit that $148 isn't an exorbitant price for two owls and their cages. Cages that size are usually very, very expensive and owls… well, those aren't your everyday birds. Parrots cost over $1000 for some, I believe that $148 is less than it should be *frowns slightly before shrugging* Ah, 20 years? *suddenly grins* Wow, I got their ages right then! Since Sev is about 25 and Harry is 5 years old… oh yeah, I'm rather good at guessing *sheepish smile* thanks for your input.   
  
**Caelestis/S**(yes, they are)**/Kimmy/Jalee**(this was not fast…)**/(no name)/Silver Angel/may-tay/LoMaRiBa/Fanny chan/obsideian**(looks likely lol)**/spade2848**(yup)**/Lilyana/NegaQueen Voldemort/Miss Patricia Potter/frizzy/npetrenko/floramorada**: Thank you!   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
"And then the prince and princess got married and lived happily ever after… until they had children, the end," Narcissa smiled lightly at the avid looks that had stayed on Harry's and Draco's face throughout the entire telling of the tale. She put the book on the table where a house elf immediately snatched it up and dashed away to put it back where it belonged. Ignoring that, she smiled at the duo, "What do you think?"   
  
Harry was the first to speak and he piped up in a clear voice, "Why'd he have to marry a girl? They're icky!" His face made a grimace at the thought and he buried his fingers in Ayrin's fur, grinning at the wolf before looking towards Draco. "Right?"   
  
Over the past couple of weeks with Lucius and Severus teaching them the basics of wizardly, Lucius found out that the boys couldn't even perform the simplest of spells just because of their pronunciation of words. That being so, he had scoured the country for a spell to eliminate lisps… and that's what had happened to the boys. Of course, having no lisps at all didn't mean they had perfect vocabulary, nor did it mean that they would speak words correctly when they didn't want to… hence the word 'icky'.   
  
Narcissa gave a small, private smile at those memories of Lucius and Severus struggling to teach the children something without that something blowing up in their faces… should it be a wand or a potion. But at least the boys had the basics down, though it was truly the basics and neither could perform a proper spell or make a proper potion just yet.   
  
Draco nodded his head firmly, his blond hair becoming messier with each shake of his head. Then he spoke in his most adamant voice, "Right! Girl's are icky!" He was curled up with Tyr, the boys and the wolves lying on the Oriental rug, his hands lightly stroking his pup's silky ears. His silver gaze then flickered up to meet Narcissa's, his voice questioning, "Why a girl?"   
  
She gave him a patient smile, internally shaking her head in amusement, "Because that is how it is. Why? You don't want to get married?" Suddenly an idea flickered in her mind and she bestowed both boys a beatific smile, inwardly plotting something…   
  
"Not to a girl!" Harry giggled softly when Ayrin licked his cheek, and the black-haired boy turned towards his wolf pup, wrapping his arms around the furry neck.   
  
Oh, this was getting amusing. Narcissa chuckled lightly and then asked delicately, "How about a boy?" If Lucius ever found out… or Severus for that matter… she could just imagine their confused and shocked faces. Oh, she knew that she shouldn't be encouraging this line of thought, but it would look so cute if Harry and Draco…   
  
As if it were his own idea, Draco leaped up and declared proudly, "I can get married to Harry so we don't have to marry girls!" Then his gaze went towards Tyr and he laughed, "And Tyr and Ayrin can too!"   
  
…Perhaps that was going a bit far. Narcissa just gave the boys a patient smile, explaining lightly to them both, "Tyr and Ayrin can't, they're brothers. That is incest." At the confused looks that ringed around her, she gave a mental sigh and a faint smile, "Never mind. Want to get married now?" This was going to look so adorable… she ought to capture this moment.   
  
So she brought out her wand and flicked it, summoning a house elf (now what was his name? …It didn't matter), ordering, "Bring me a camera."   
  
The house elf, whose name was Twink by the way, just bobbed his head and said hurriedly, "Yes, mistress," and quickly darted out of the room, intent on finding a camera. He returned soon after, and politely deposited the device next to Narcissa before fleeing once more.   
  
Through all of this, Narcissa's excited talking including; both Harry and Draco had extremely puzzled looks on their faces, but quietly followed along with whatever the woman told them to do. So they got off the floor, faced each other, fumbled with strange rings that Narcissa made another house elf get.   
  
Harry looked at Draco gravely, speaking privately, -_I think that 'cissa is crazy…_- a thoughtful look stole over the small boy's expressive green eyes, -_or it's 'that time of the month again' like Lucius says! …why does he say that Draco? I dun get it. 'cissa doesn't act differently when he says that to us_-   
  
Draco just gave a helpless shrug; grasping a several roses that Narcissa had thrust into his hands and instructed him to hold. The little boy turned confused eyes towards his mother before his gaze darted back to Harry, -_I… dunno. Maybe it is 'that time of the month', should I ask mother?-_ At Harry's nod, Draco looked up towards Narcissa and spoke, his voice hesitant, "Is it… that time of the month again?"   
  
At those words Narcissa froze and turned to look towards Harry and Draco, her ice blue eyes holding faint traces of annoyance, "And where did you here that?"   
  
A prompt reply from both.   
  
"Lucius!"   
  
"Father!"   
  
She then smiled a faint smile, a dangerous smile, and inclined her head softly, while saying in a light tone, "It isn't 'that time of the month', and you two should never ask that question to a lady." When she finally saw nods coming from both, she gave a self-satisfied smile, "Very well then, let's continue…" Her voice dropped suddenly and she muttered to herself, "And I'll talk to Lucius later." Her delicate hands lightly stroked a rose petal and then she handed a small bouquet of them to Harry.   
  
_The smaller alpha seems upset with the tall one_ Ayrin perked his ears up towards Narcissa, hearing her words, but not understanding the meaning behind it. He relayed his insight to Harry and Tyr (who in turn gave it to Draco); his tail wagging slightly as he delicately plucked a flower from Harry's hand and promptly destroyed it.   
  
Neither he nor Tyr knew the meaning being a 'marriage' and didn't care. Just as long as their bondeds were healthy and happy, they too were happy. Though they did feel plenty confused over what events were happening in the manor, not understanding things even when Draco and Harry tried to explain them. But they accepted it all, didn't know how not to, and loved their little boys with the fierceness rivaled by none except perhaps Lucius and Narcissa.   
  
Except the pups would never do anything to intentionally harm their bonded.   
  
~   
  
Harry was nearly falling over, in fact he was leaning heavily on Draco for support, his yawning growing more and more frequent as Narcissa droned on about some sort of marriage stuff that he didn't understand. …At all… But 'cissa seemed to think that it was important because she kept snapping little pictures of them both.   
  
Sometimes girls were strange.   
  
Thought firmly fixed in his head, he gave himself a nod and blinked, trying to keep his vision steady or else he'll probably fall over and go to sleep. He idly brushed Ayrin's thick fur with a hand, muttering to himself, and to Draco, how much he was never going to do this ever again.   
  
To which Draco had replied mentally, -_I dun think that you can 'cause you then are married to me. What does being married do anyway?_- He was tired as well, but tried not to show it, his silver eyes fixed on his mother as he carried a mental conversation with Harry and Tyr.   
  
-_I dunno… Lucius and 'cissa are married, so… I guess we are like them?-_ Harry shrugged, or tried to, before giving up half way. His eyes were half-lidded, hearing the drone of Narcissa's voice vaguely, clutching some ring in his hand that she had gave him to give to Draco. Draco had a similar one. He still didn't understand a thing.   
  
Draco stifled a yawn himself, -_What does being married do? They dun do anything different… I think. I dunno…-_ Suddenly he perked up, -_They live in the same room! Does that mean we can too?-_ He had been dearly missing Harry when he slept.   
  
At the thought, Harry grinned broadly and started to squirm, before whining to Narcissa, "Done yet? Tired!" He pouted, his most adorable pout, his bottom lip jutting out slightly, his eyes widening. Needless to say, it usually had a positive effect when put on adults of any age… except for Sev, Sev seemed to just twitch and groan. Or maybe because he always used the face after he blew something up…   
  
Hehe… so maybe it did work on Sev, because the man never seemed able to punish him afterwards. It was something to keep in mind.   
  
Narcissa glanced up at them from some book she was reading out-loud and sighed before chuckling to herself, "Ah well… it's just that you two look so adorable…" The usually calm and completely composed woman seemed a bit flustered and for the life of them, Draco and Harry didn't know why. She hurried on, "Anyway, all you two have to do is exchange your rings and kiss each other!" She spoke the last in a faintly cheery voice, already instructing the house elf looking over this fake wedding to being taking as many pictures as they could… all the while muttering under her breath something about blackmail and 'when they get older'.   
  
Which neither Harry nor Draco understood very well, for one thing, what the heck was blackmail?   
  
So while Milly… (or was it Twiddle, or Gibble, or… did they even have a house elf named Gibble?) took pictures, Draco and Harry gazed at each other with confusion on their faces before Harry shrugged and leaned forward (which Narcissa did as well, though neither of the boys noticed) and kissed Draco quickly on the cheek before withdrawing. Then both boys gave each other the tiny rings, still with the most puzzled expression on their faces.   
  
Then Harry began to whine, "Are we done?????"   
  
Before Narcissa could reply, the door opened quietly and Lucius strode in with Severus behind him, both of them blinking when they saw Narcissa and the boys. Lucius eloquently raised a single eyebrow, looking at Draco and Harry with a bit of bemusement in his eyes before finally asking, "What are you two doing?" Severus just looked at the scene with vague interest, his sharp eyes taking in the camera, how the boys were leaning against each other, and most of all the rings…   
  
Before Narcissa could drudge up a suitable reply, Draco chirped brightly, "Me and Harry got married!"   
  
Harry looked at Lucius and Severus curiously when the latter seemed to be struggling not to laugh and the former seemed to be chocking on thin air. How strange. His mind puzzled over this fact, his head tilting slightly to the side when he saw Lucius' face turn slightly red and the man for once seemed to be at a loss for words. He wondered what was wrong with getting married, Lucius and 'cissa were married, right? Adults were strange…   
  
Lucius chocked out, "Bloody hell, married?!" His gray eyes swiftly moved over to the guilty looking Narcissa, questioning, and finally resigned as he tried to reign in what little dignity he had left. He coughed a bit and sighed internally, -wouldn't do to be seen sighing after this little fiasco- his face returning to its usual blank and composed manner.   
  
A guilty look was placed on Narcissa face when she realized that she had lost track of the time and that the boys should be having their lesson right now. She got up from her position gracefully, determined not to look ruffled by this event, smiled sweetly at Severus and spoke lightly, "Yes, well… it was something to pass the time with, love. I'm sure that you and Severus could start instructing them now." She shot a furtive look towards an ancient clock and muttered softly, "Ah… it's late, and I really ought to go buy those robes I was eyeing in the shop, don't work the boys too hard now, love." And unabashedly, she swept out of the room, the picture of a perfect wife.   
  
Silence reigned in the room while Lucius tried to figure out exactly what happened.   
  
~   
  
After a bit of explanations from the boys, and the adamant repeat telling by Lucius that the boys could not stay in the same room and that they were not really married… things settled down to business as usual, though Severus remained highly amused for the rest of the day. The only thing that jarred it was Draco and Harry's refusal to give up the rings, proclaiming loudly that it was 'pretty' and that Tyr and Ayrin liked it (to which Lucius muttered under his breath that his son and Harry were turning into poufs and he couldn't seem to do a thing about it… especially when Narcissa seemed to be encouraging them of all things). Needless to say, Severus was going to have plenty of fun teasing the other man about it for the rest of his days.   
  
Blackmail was a sweet thing.   
  
Shaking his head, Lucius turned his attention towards the boys and the wolves, barking out, "Take out your wands! We are about to begin, now stop dallying like a bunch of Weasleys and hurry up!" By now Lucius had decided to ignore what happened before and to just continue on. He and Severus had their own wands out, both looking calm and collected, ready for whatever mishaps might be thrown their way.   
  
Harry and Draco both took out their wands, eyes fixed upon their instructors (for they have ceased becoming friends when it came to lessons, the boys had learned that early on) with avid expressions. Perhaps they weren't good at magic yet, but it was still terribly exciting for them and they really did wish to be as good as Lucius said they should be.   
  
Lucius spoke smoothly, "We are going to try to have you cast spells, I do not expect you to fail. Failure results in no desserts…" at the shocked looks the two children sported, he smiled maliciously and went on, "for a week."   
  
Beside him Severus just gave him a questioning look and a raised brow, but inwardly he admitted to himself that the threat really did work since both Harry and Draco looked as if their lives depended on them being able to cast spells or not. Really, it was quite amusing. He just wordlessly flicked his wand about absentmindedly, eyes cool and alert.   
  
Firmly the older Malfoy continued, "First spell is _wingardium leviosa_. Now, watch closely and follow my movements exactly." He moved his wand in the correct manner, spoke the words, and finished with pointing it to a nearby book, making it float in the air and stay there until he dismissed the spell. He turned to look towards Draco and Harry with complete seriousness, "Your turn. Draco, you first."   
  
One had to feel sorry for the nervous little boy who gripped his wand as if it was the only thing keeping him on this plane of existence. Draco looked at the book and then back down at the wand in his hands before finally doing sketchy movements, his words tumbling over each other, and he finally pointed it towards the book… which caught on fire.   
  
Severus strode in immediately and snarled out a _finite incantatum_, barely resisting the urge to make a comment on the dismalness of the performance, reminding himself in his mind that they were just children and he shouldn't expect much. The flames on the book fizzled out immediately and he stepped back into his place. This was the reason why he was there, to stop any stray spells from doing any… lasting damage. One could only guess what may happen when teaching children as young as Harry and Draco were.   
  
For a good portion of the hour Lucius sniped at Draco to continue to try, to get the spell right. Near the end of the hour Draco looked miserable, uncertain, and at the brink of tears with Severus and Lucius at a loss on how to get the small boy get the spell right. No amount of help they tried to do, examples they did, Draco didn't seem to get it right.   
  
On his… well, they lost count on what try, a small voice snaked into Draco's mind. -_Relax Drake…-_ Harry used a little pet-name he came up with during the past hour, -_You can do this spell, it's easy! You just don't know it_- Well, confident little bugger wasn't he? -_Ayrin said to look for your magic. Erm… he said it was inside, dunno what that really means, but try!-   
_  
Draco sighed and sniffled, wiping at his watery eyes while Lucius and Severus stared at him stonily. He pouted at them and decided to do what Harry said, what else was there to lose? So he took a great deep breath and closed his eyes… (much to the confusion from the adults) his breathing slowing down. Look inside? He could do that! Sorta… not really… he struggled as he wondered exactly what Ayrin had meant before another mind whispered in his head.   
  
_Silly bonded! Like this!_   
  
And it seemed as if he was thrust into pure power. Tyr's subconscious (it turns out that the white pup was the source of the voice and the subsequent dunking into the power) floated around in the fringes of the power, occasionally brushing against it, but never fully touching it. It was as if this was a place only for Draco, a place where he could be alone, safe, and without any worries.   
  
It was really, really pretty. Silver, of all shades, swirled around him, through him, never stopping in their haunting movements. The feeling of power thrummed around him, it comforted him, it was completely peaceful.   
  
Suddenly Tyr's voice jolted his musings, the pup sounding far away, but impatient, _What are you doing? Bonded, you need to draw it up and use it! Everyone is waiting for you_ Then the wolf pup's mind-voice faded away once more.   
  
Draco paused for a moment, a sigh seemingly escaping him, as he drew up a tendril of power and was suddenly back to the state he was in before… only now he had the power and the control. He could feel his reservation of power, perhaps not completely understanding it, but knowing that he could always find it now. He gave a small smile, and his voice proudly spoke, "_Wingardium leviosa_!" His spell hit the book… and the book slammed up into the ceiling behind the sheer force of Draco's concentration, the shock of it happening making the little boy jump and break the spell, letting the book fall with a heavy thud.   
  
Lucius looked blankly at the massacred book (burnt, frozen in parts, pages falling out, ect) and finally spoke, "Well… you finally got it right. We'll need to work on limiting the spells though…" He glanced over to Severus, at a small loss on what else to say.   
  
With a small shake of his head, Severus got himself to stop staring at the book and wondering over where the burst of power came from. His dark eyes flicked towards Draco and he gave a curt nod, "Good work, Young Malfoy. Harry…" dimly he wondered over the fact that he still did not know the last name of the boy, dismissing it as unimportant, "It is your turn. Perhaps you won't take as long as your companion did."   
  
Dumbledore would be greatly inquisitive to know that Draco Malfoy had considerable might in his first working spell… but still, he would not say a word about Harry, could not. The situation was too delicate to be handled quite yet by more people. He still did not know enough about the situation and where exactly the Malfoy's stood… it was something to think upon, surely, and he has thought about it for many sleepless nights.   
  
Harry then started by the sound of Severus' voice, having been jolted out of his mental praise of what Draco had done. He smiled sheepishly at the potion's master before stepping up and pointing his wand at the book. The little boy garbled the words (making them come out all wrong) and the book did nothing but turn a few pages.   
  
It seemed as if this was going to take some time.   
  
Only a couple minutes later though, Harry seemed to fall into the small trance that Draco had before, and when he came out of it, he was smiling brightly, confidently. His hand flicked up towards the book and he spoke the words of the spell as if they were imprinted into his mind, and the book floated up quickly before slowing down, floating in the air lightly before Harry broke the spell.   
  
Silence greeted the two adults who stared at the book and the little black-haired boy who did the spell, both gazes puzzled and calculating. While Harry did not demonstrate the power behind the spell that Draco he seemed to have a better grasp at it.   
  
Well, they were wrong, partly wrong anyway. Throughout the entire thing, Harry had been quietly watching Lucius and then Draco perform, always noting what Draco had done wrong, what he was doing. So he had gained a greater understanding behind the spell (who wouldn't after nearly an hour of hearing it) and more of intuition of what should happen and what he should do. Thus, when he had gone in to find his 'center' which had been power of shades of green (and strangely enough black), he went in with a greater understanding and executed the spell better. If it had been the other way around, Draco would have done the same as him.   
  
Thoughtfully the two adults completed the lesson, praising the boys and sending them off to clean up and get to bed. Lucius glanced towards Severus and motioned to the chairs.   
  
~   
  
"It's nearly time…" Lucius spoke quietly, lightly swirling around the deep red wine in the elegant glass he held lightly in his fingers. He stared into it, not drinking, before glancing towards Severus who had made himself comfortable in the high-backed chairs.   
  
The potion master frowned a bit and nodded curtly, "Yes, it is. Tell me, you are still going to go through with the plan?" He disapproved of it, knew it might break the boys who seemed so close. While he may seem like a bastard to some, it didn't mean that he was heartless… and he had grown fond of both boys really.   
  
Lucius just nodded and took a light sip of the wine, letting the heady taste rest on his tongue, "Yes, you know very well that to pull this off perfectly, I need them separated and Draco in the public's eyes." He frowned slightly, banishing any misgivings he may have on his little plan, deciding that it was the best thing to do at this stage.   
  
"What does Narcissa say?"   
  
Lucius gave Severus a thoughtful look. He knew that Severus knew more than he let on, yet still the other did not seem to know about the existence of the true Malfoy manor, nor any of the more… important information that Lucius and Narcissa kept quiet. His gaze absentmindedly flickered about the study, silently reflecting on how in the manor, the room would be bigger with a more elegant touch… before banishing the thought from his mind. He really shouldn't get distracted; perhaps it was the wine…? No, couldn't be.   
  
He spoke again, a bit absentmindedly, "She has agreed to the plan, I would have carried it out even if she hadn't, you know that." Perhaps a touch of a lie would do, if Narcissa had really disagreed, there was little he could do about it and the plan probably would not have carried out the way that he wanted.   
  
Severus gave a slow nod, his smooth voice sounding once more, "So… where shall Harry and Narcissa go? I trust that you can't keep them in the manor especially considering how much of it is in the public's eye." He didn't drink any of the wine, instead just sloshing it in the glass slowly, "I shall have to deviate between the manor and that other place, right?" His sharp obsidian eyes met the Malfoy gray, "I will have to if I am to teach both Draco and Harry."   
  
A slight nod answered him, Lucius murmuring softly, "They will be quite a distance away… and will live in a different place than where you are going to teach Harry. Safer for us all that way." He didn't indicate why, "They would both be unstoppable when the time comes… Don't you agree, Severus?"   
  
Silence… Severus looked at Lucius steadily, his gaze appraising before he finally spoke, "Of course, Lucius."   
  
He took a long drink from the glass of wine.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
Well… *pause* ^^; Yes, I know I'm terribly late with this chapter, I promise that it'll come out faster (the next one I mean) So now all of you know what Lucius is going to do… cheers for those that guessed correctly before hand! Fluffy chapter… it'll get angsty in the next one when I separate Harry and Draco *looks sheepish* oh I can just feel the hate from people. Don't worry! They'll get back together… *coughs quietly and mumbles* After some more angst. But anyway, this fic seems to be shaping up! I'm just going to have to insert more plot and… yeah. ^^   
  
If you haven't noticed by now, I like Sev *grins* I think he's an interesting, complex character. He'll have more significance later (I think… hmmm…) Oh and the marriage scene. I absolutely abhor the way I wrote the first portion, hate it, want to burn it, but when I was going to rewrite it, I decided that you people waited long enough…   
  
Oh! And please read my story Perfection. Harry and Draco… okay, the only reason I want you to read it is because it has 9 reviews, I just need ONE to make me happy. Nobody understands how much it bugs me to leave it at nine… I would be the same if I had 59 and only needed one more to make it 60. I'm strange that way *grins sheepishly* I just need one review, pretty please?   
  
~   
  
My e-mail address is flyby311@hotmail.com and put Single Choice or fanfic or Harry Potter or something similar to that, so I know what the e-mail is about. Anything you want to add/criticize/comment/whatever you guys just review it… please?   



	8. Lucius is Always Right

A Single Choice   
Chapter Eight- Lucius is Always Correct   
By- IceWind   


****

A/N:   
**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter and everything in its franchise is owned by J.K Rowling and whoever else has rights to the books. I have no claim whatsoever to the characters; the plot is entirely mine though, as is any new characters that I might introduce into the story. Rating is PG-13; though it may turn to R later.   
  
**Warnings:** Probably slash in later chapters… which for those who do not know what that means, it means boy/boy, yaoi, shounen-ai, or homosexuals if you want to get technical. It's AU (alternate universe) Definitely AU; nobody could mistake it for anything else. I accept constructive criticism, and flames are fine as well just as long as you don't care if I write a reply, most probably sarcastic, unless you actually had a good reason… though that would probably go under the constructive criticism column and I wouldn't do anything but thank you. ^_^   
  
*yawns tiredly* Hello! Yuss, I'm kinda tired right now… (3/18/03) went to Central Park, in New York City, and then to the Hard Rock Café… Was fun! ^^; Class trip. Then I came home and started to type, don't you all feel special? *giggles* Anyway… I was kind of wondering why I only got like 8 reviews for the last chapter, but then I decided to forgive you all *sweatdrop* Whatever, but can we at least strive for 10 reviews for a chapter? ^^;;;;;   
  
**Jalee**: *large sweatdrop* You don't get it? x.x Awww! Dangit, anyway, you'll find out definitely in this chapter then. Lol and Severus didn't put any wine in the cup… Lucius was just thinking if he was getting a fuzzy head from the wine *giggles*   
  
**Xelos**: ^__^ Fav list? *goes starry eyed* aww thanks! Lol, your English isn't that bad ^^; god knows mine can be just as bad and that's rather pathetic considering that English is the only language I can fully speak. *sweatdrop* Didn't I say in some previous chapter that the probability of it being Draco/Harry is high? I stick to what I said ^_^ Severus and Remus though? *thoughtful, contemplative look* Perhaps, if I feel like it. I'm trying to keep this at least a bit realistic, not too many slash pairings and not too many het ones… because slash ones are sooo much yummier *sweatdrop*   
  
**Coriander:** Mpreg? *gives a silent wince and a drawn smile* Well… probability of it turning into that kind of story is very close to 0% *large sweatdrop* Mostly because I don't really like pregnancy fics and the small children (I am a hypocrite, people will have to deal with it, but the main characters DO grow up!). There is also the fact that the boys will be around 15/16 if they get together *giggles*   
  
**Fanny chan:** And here I thought the scene was horribly cliché and stilted ^^; I'll try to keep up the level of excellence (excellence? Where? *looks around wonderingly*), hehe…   
  
**Frizzy**: Erm… a set date? Regularly? *valiantly tries to keep from falling over* What is with me and disappointing people today? *sweatdrop* Anyway, I really, really doubt that even if I set a date to update, I'll be unable to keep said date of update. x.x Just a small problem I have with writing… I write when I feel the urge to or if I feel horribly guilty. *twitches* At least this came out early…?   
  
**Diana**: *hums and jots down the house* Lmao, you amuse me ^^; Then again, it isn't that hard to amuse me… I'm sad that way *mock sighs*   
  
**Nephir**: Twist? Where? *spins around, gets dizzy, falls onto floor* ^^; Well, I suppose there's a bit of a twist, though I really wasn't thinking about that when I wrote this fic. Hmm… ^__^ I feel happy *gives you a lollypop*   
  
**Shakira**: *giggles* I didn't know anyone who read my HP fic and my Aether fic! SQUEE! *glomps you momentarily* Happy ending? *mock grave face, almighty voice booms* Maybe, maybe not! *large-ass sweatdrop* I'll… try not to be as slow as updating this fic as with Aether *hangs head* TRY being the operative word here *giggles*   
  
**Npetrenko/Kimmy/smallfry:** Thanks!   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
Narcissa yawned slightly, hiding it behind her hand, her steady blue eyes locked onto Lucius' busy form. She looked at his back thoughtfully, finally saying, "When are you going to tell them?" Usually perfectly still, her fingers traced an absentminded pattern on the arm of the chair, showing her slightly apprehensive state of mind. There was no need to ask who 'them' were, that was obvious.   
  
Silence filled the air for a moment, Lucius looking up from the bunch of forms he was signing and looking over, turning around in the chair to look at his wife. He thought to himself for a moment, before saying in a cool voice, "Perhaps tomorrow. I think it would be better if they had notice, considering that they are going to separate in about a week."   
  
He then turned back to his paperwork; the only sound in the room was the steady scratching of his quill against the parchment.   
  
"I still don't like it…"   
  
Lucius glanced up again and finally pushed the papers aside, twisting around in the chair and looking at his wife for a moment. She wasn't looking at him, rather out the window, no expression on her lovely face other than a faint frown. He gave an inward sigh and shook his head lightly, finally replying, "We have to go through the plan love, there is nothing else we can do. The boys will take it just fine… after a week or two, they'll adapt, they're young."   
  
He pushed himself up from the chair and made his way over to Narcissa, his hand resting lightly on her shoulder, ignoring the small flinch that she made. He lips thinned slightly when he realized that she refused to look at him still and spoke on, "You understand that my mind is made up, correct? Voldemort is going to pay for the humiliation he dealt to the Malfoy family, even if we have to split up the family."   
  
A wry smile appeared briefly on Narcissa's lips, her voice cool as she spoke, "Pride goeth before a fall."   
  
Lucius smirked in reply, "Not for a Malfoy… we may fall, but we never lose our pride. Never." His voice was adamant on the last part, his benign face underscored by his hard eyes, the harsh set of his jaws. He meant what he said, Malfoys never disgrace themselves, they would rather die than give up their pride or harm it.   
  
Then he spoke again, "Besides, that was a saying made by a muggle, for muggles. They don't equate the Malfoy family in that." He waved his other hand around airily, "Let's move on to a different topic… did you know that Harry and Draco are progressing quite well in their studies?"   
  
Narcissa gently bit the bottom of her lip for a moment before relaxing, willing to let him divert her attention towards different matters. It wasn't as if she had any choice in the matter anyway… "Oh?"   
  
A fond smile answered her inquisitive sound, Lucius giving a slight nod, "Yes, they will both be powerful wizards when the time comes… that bastard is going to regret making servants out of Malfoys."   
  
"Revenge is sweet…" Narcissa chuckled softly, finally reaching up a hand and laying it lightly on the hand that Lucius had rested on her shoulder. A vicious smile crossed her lips, mind dwelling on the indignities her family had on Voldemort's reign, deciding in that moment that Lucius' plan was the only way anything will work. He was always right, always. And she loved him for that and the fact that he was utterly brilliant in everything that he did.   
  
Suddenly a thought struck her, and she asked lightly, "Any more information on Severus, darling?"   
  
Lucius frowned slightly in thought, gray eyes contemplative as he looked down at his wife. "A bit, nothing concrete yet. Apparently Severus Snape is a hard man to pin down… how loyal he is, where his heart lies. To the other Death Eaters, he seems as if he was the perfect henchmen, with his coveted spot near Dumbledore where he could spy on the old man. But… something jars me on that; something is making me rethink about his true allegiance."   
  
A pause then, Lucius' mulling over his thoughts.   
  
"He believes, as well as I, that Voldemort is coming back. Some of the others do not… I say that they are all fools. We have to tread carefully, love, we don't know exactly how much influence Voldemort still wields, if he is coming back fully at all."   
  
Narcissa glanced up at her husband's face, the sharp, almost predatory look in his eyes. She gave a smile at him, just as blood-thirsty, "You and I both know that he is. That one of the Death Eater's is caring for him… we are just not exactly sure where he is and who is housing him. Harry may have temporarily halted him, but he did not finish him." She laughed softly and lightly stroked the back of his hand, "You would have been sorely vexed if he had, am I correct?"   
  
Lucius gave her a sharp look before that melted away into a softer one, "Of course. A Malfoy takes revenge against those who have angered them; we don't let others take that away from us. The thrill is in the chase and most importantly the _kill_. As fond as I am of Harry, I would have killed him that night if I had believed that he had truly done away with the Dark Lord. It is different if I craft him and Draco, wielding them both as my swords. Then… then I would have caused Voldemort's downfall, though his blood did not stain my hands directly."   
  
A smile played on his face, smug, "The plan is going perfectly, with the only disturbance being Severus' arrival onto the scene. But his appearance in this little play may make everything easier for us, love. He can help us teach the children, help us plan the downfall of Voldemort… a pawn. Perhaps later we could inform him, but only when we are completely sure on where his allegiance lies. If it is with Voldemort… then we have to regrettably kill him later, if Dumbledore… well, we'll wait and see what happens. The old man is only a bit better than the bastard." Lucius sneered at the last, dislike clear in his eyes.   
  
Narcissa gave a slow nod. Malfoys took care of themselves, they looked out for themselves, and nobody stole their revenge from them in fear that they themselves become the focus of that need for revenge.   
  
~   
  
"What?!" Harry shrieked, his emerald eyes filling with complete and utter desperation, "No!" He stood by Draco's side and clung to the other boy hard, shaking his head furiously towards Lucius and Severus… Narcissa having exited the scene a couple minutes prior. Almost as if he believed that Lucius hadn't heard him, he spoke again, adamantly, "No!"   
  
Beside them, Tyr and Ayrin whined, both pups terribly confused to the reason why their bondeds were feeling so anguished. Ayrin threaded around the white pup towards Harry, his wet nose gently brushing against the back of the boy's hand, ears and tail down.   
  
Lucius looked towards Harry and Draco with no emotion on his face other than a slightly raised brow. His voice silkily whispered through the room, "No…?" Lightly he looked down towards the boys, faint annoyance rising within him. He knew that they would both have been upset, but… this upset? Damn it, he knew that he should have drunk a glass of wine… preferably that aged red.   
  
Then again, with two hysterical little boys that would use any excuse to stay together… well, perhaps it was a wise choice not to drink anything before hand that may -a very remote possibility, but one nevertheless- cloud judgment slightly. Suddenly his eyes flicked over to the impassive Severus, the other man was just watching quietly, taking in the scene.   
  
Apparently he won't get any help from the potion master.   
  
Whatever, he didn't need help, he was a Malfoy and that was all there was too it. Malfoy's never backed down from a challenge, never gave up on what they pursue… that said, no one could ever confuse a Malfoy with bloody, well… _ Gryffindors_, because unlike those foolhardy idiots, Malfoy's would retreat when needed and not rush into things foolishly. Not to mention that they would go to any means to get what they want… They were all breed like that, taught to act like that, which was why the entire line of Malfoys have always been sorted into Slytherin… discounting the one or two odd Ravenclaws.   
  
If any of them have been sorted into Gryffindor or even worse, Hufflepuff, well… hey, didn't he hear of a tale from a long time ago (several centuries) where one was? Oh yes, they killed themselves on the second night… good, put the boy (or was it a girl?) out of their misery.   
  
Anyway, back to his current predicament. Lucius sighed inwardly, his outward expression stern. He lightly fingered his wand, his voice still low, calm, utterly calm, "Yes, you two are going to split up." His voice was cold and commanding, the same tone he used with others who weren't worth his time.   
  
"But…!" Draco wailed softly, his silver eyes bright with distress, but trying to comfort his slightly younger companion. The small boy gave a gulp and winced when his father turned his stare towards him directly, but stood his ground, jutting his chin up, staring eye to eye with Lucius before breaking the gaze and looking down at the ground.   
  
Lucius narrowed his eyes at his son, sneering slightly when he saw Draco back down, his voice harsh as he bit out, "What does it take to be a Malfoy?" He stood there commandingly, ignoring everything else but Draco, intent on the answer though he knew full well what it was.   
  
Severus eyed Lucius with a bit of trepidation, wanting to depart like Narcissa had done before, yet not daring too. This was the Lucius he knew from everyday life, not the Lucius that the two boys were used to. This man was ruthless, utterly ruthless; nothing could stand in his way from what he wanted. It was foolish to try to oppose Malfoy, bloody stupid. Look at the Weasleys now… their family had insulted a Malfoy generations before and that caused their financial and social downfall. And really, Severus believed that Lucius was just as ruthless as that Malfoy had been.   
  
His obsidian eyes were pinned onto the small form of Malfoy junior, who looked so like his father yet it was clear that he was Narcissa's son as well. The potion's master watched the scene with a calm expression, inwardly feeling slightly sorry for the boys and the life that they had known. It would all change…   
  
Draco flinched as if he had been hit at Lucius' harsh words, his eyes traveling towards Harry for a moment, silver meeting green, before he looked back towards his father and began to recite all that the other had told him about Malfoys… Until he got up to one part, "…Malfoys are intelligent, but even more important, cunning…"   
  
"Exactly right," Lucius bit out, halting the boy in his recitation with the curt words. "There is a plan behind all of this, you know very well what we have to accomplish." He didn't elaborate, Severus was there after all, "And this is part of the plan. We must not attract any attention to ourselves, understood? That means that you have to be shown to the public, Harry will go into hiding. Narcissa will pretend to have an illness and go off with him. That is how the plan is shaping up, that is what we are going to do. I am not allowing you two to wreak it! Not when we have come so far!"   
  
Silence answered, Severus wondering to himself exactly what Lucius was talking about. It seemed too much… more than just training Draco and Harry for Voldemort… so much more. Yet, that couldn't be it, could it? He frowned slightly, but stayed silent, watching the scene with curious eyes.   
  
Ayrin finally figured it out, what was happening to his bonded and the other boy and his brother. They were all going to separate, and for one of the first times in his life, the black pup was scared. He whined and gave soft whimpers, hearing Tyr do the same, knowing that the white pup finally understood. His voice shot through Harry's head viciously, undertones of fright laced within it, _I… I will bite tall alpha! I will, I will, I will! Don't want Tyr and Tyr's bonded to leave! Not fair!_   
  
Harry winced slightly, hearing his pup's thoughts battering through his mind, wishing inwardly that he could let Ayrin just bite Lucius and they could all run away… But that was silly, Ayrin couldn't do that, Lucius could just do a… spell thingy and Ayrin would crumple. Harry looked towards Lucius with hurt eyes, unshed tears within them.   
  
"…Yes, Father…"   
  
The tiny voice came from Draco, the small boy looking down fiercely at the floor, his hands clenched. He could feel Harry stiffen slightly beside him, but paid the other boy no mind, shaking slightly, body tense. _-I… don't know what to do. I dun wanna be separated! But… father says we must, we gotta defeat Voldemort…-_   
  
Upset emerald green eyes looked towards Draco, Harry whimpering softly and burrowing his head into Draco's robes, mind vehement. _-But… but it's safer together! It gotta be! Lucius… Lucius is wrong!-_   
  
_-Father is never wrong!-_   
  
The statement came quickly towards Harry and the black-haired boy twitched slightly, but didn't reply back, didn't try to argue that Draco was wrong. His voice came up as a mere whisper, echoing what Draco had said with a single variation, "Yes, Lucius."   
  
For a moment Lucius missed the way the boy would pronounce his name, 'Luwcius', but then dismissed the ridiculous notion from his mind, standing firmly by his decision. Very good, they agreed, finally. He gave them a short nod, and bestowed upon them a small smile, which they did not return. Granted, he wasn't expecting them to, but he really was doing this for their own good… He spoke again, a bit reluctantly, "You two can always owl each other," that would give them an even greater incentive on learning how to write properly and well, "Even twice in a day if you wish."   
  
Only silence greeted him, but he hadn't expected them to thank him or anything of the sort. Wishful thinking really, something he did away with without another thought. "Harry is leaving in the morning with Narcissa… Draco, you will stay in this manor with me."   
  
Confusion flickered momentarily in Severus' eyes, 'this' manor? Exactly what does that mean? That they had more than one Malfoy manor or something of the sort? Yes, they had many villas and houses, but the Malfoys were known for only one manor. Hmm… Severus inwardly shook his head, deciding to ponder over such matters at a later date.   
  
Draco opened his mouth, as if he was going to argue, but then snapped it shut before turning towards Harry, his voice low, but carrying throughout the room. "Let's go to my room…" With that, he took the smaller boy's hand and tugged him up the stairs towards his room, his steps slow and ponderous, looking as if the weight of the world had descended upon him, Harry following him with almost the same expression. That was a look not suited for such young children…   
  
Before Tyr and Ayrin went after their bondeds, Tyr looked towards Lucius and lifted his upper lip, revealing sharp canines. And the white wolf actually growled at Lucius, a full, low, rumbling growl that was abruptly cut off as the black wolf nudged Tyr in the side. Without sparing a glance backwards, both wolves trotted off after their bondeds.   
  
Lucius flicked his eyes away from the retreating animal's backs, his voice soft as he mused out loud, "Strange, they have never done that to me before." It almost seemed as if he had forgotten that Severus was in the room as well, too caught up in his own thoughts.   
  
"Perhaps it is because you are separating the boys and disrupting their lives." Severus' dry voice rang out, eyes pinned onto Lucius. "Do you truly believe that your current course of action is wise, Lucius?" Apparently the potion's master disagreed, but then again, he knew something that the boys did not.   
  
The blond haired man just gave a languid shrug, answering in a light voice, "Of course, I wouldn't do it if I didn't think that this was the only course that I could take. Didn't we discuss this before, Severus? Really now, I thought you had a better memory than this." He cast a discreet glance towards the other man, but pretended that he was looking out the window towards the gardens below.   
  
Annoyance flickered in Severus' dark eyes for a moment, before he visibly reigned himself in and calmed down, "Perhaps, but not everything. Only the general information, Lucius. Why do I believe that you have more information than what you are telling me?"   
  
"Perhaps it's because I do."   
  
At such a bald statement, Severus couldn't help but blink a couple of times, before asking hotly, "Then why do you not tell me? Aren't I also in this little plan of yours? Do you not think that I deserve to know what is going on inside your mind?" His hand clenched, before he relaxed, other than his words, he refused to show that he was perturbed by the other man, "Stop playing with me."   
  
Lucius finally turned and looked towards him, vague amusement lighting his pale eyes for a moment. "Why? Don't you believe that life is much better as a game? More exciting? View it that way, perhaps one day you can figure it out for yourself… or I could tell you. Though I would be sorely disappointed if I had to tell you, I did think that you were so much more intelligent than that."   
  
Severus couldn't help but bristle a little at the statement, his mind furiously scanning over what scant information he knew already, but coming up with nothing but what he had already known before. He replied coolly though, a slight touch of arrogance in his voice, "I'll figure it out later then, wouldn't like to disappoint you, Lucius."   
  
"…You do that, Severus."   
  
Lucius turned back towards the window and looked outwards towards the sky.   
  
~   
  
The day had arrived, both boys were looking absolutely miserable, their pups not in a much better state either. It was clear that Harry had been crying, his face splotchy and his eyes tinged with red. Draco was trying to maintain a strong front, but obviously failing, every once in a while he gave a soft sniffle and a whimper.   
  
Lucius watched over the boys with a cool eye, Narcissa wringing her hands lightly, but hiding her nervousness when Lucius directed his gaze towards her. She gave a faintly strained smile towards Harry and Draco, walking gracefully over to Harry and gently taking his arm, "We have to go… Say your goodbyes."   
  
It was apparent that the boys loathed to do so, but Draco broke away gently from Harry's grasp, looking at him with a fond smile. He wordlessly drifted towards Lucius, Tyr following him reluctantly, the white pup continuously looking back over his shoulder towards where his brother stood next to Harry.   
  
Tyr gave a soft, distressed whimper, but Ayrin just looked at his brother with calm eyes, for once the picture of serenity and solemnity. It was strange how Tyr's actions right now mirrored Harry's and Ayrin's mirrored Draco's…   
  
Lucius reflected to himself on how that was something to look into later, but for now… he glanced towards Harry, gave him a small smile and a brief nod, "I will see you soon to help with your instructions. Perhaps if you and Draco learn quickly enough, you'll two meet up again sooner than expected." He had not yet told them how soon the 'expected' time was. It was better off that way… less sorrow for him to deal with. Narcissa could inform Harry if he asked, as he would personally see to Draco if his son asked.   
  
"Touch my robes, keep Ayrin's fur firmly in your hand," Narcissa spoke towards Harry who complied with her instructions, his loud sniffling audible to all in the small room, "We're going to apparate to the manor." Her gaze flickered over to her son and gave a faint smile, "I will see you soon, Draco." She then took out her wand and prepared herself for apparating, but before she left, she glanced down towards the taciturn boy with a troubled expression, "Are you going to say goodbye?"   
  
Harry flinched but turned towards Draco, murmuring softly, "Bye Drake…" He heard Tyr give a sharp bark of goodbye and Draco's quiet return before Narcissa waved her wand and they disappeared from sight.   
  
Lucius looked towards his son, a slight frown on his lips appearing at Draco's sorrowful look, voice light as he spoke, "Well then… let us move on with your lessons. Later on, you are to meet Miss Parkinson, while I converse with her father. I suggest that you act in a manner befitting of a Malfoy." He ignored Draco's wide eyed look as he swept out of the room.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
Erm… *sweatdrop* At least I updated quickly this time, right? So what if this chapter is slightly depressing and angsty *starts coughing* Don't kill me! Only the authoress… Anyway, just to tell you all, I'm moving up their ages (finally!) in the next chapter, most likely they'll be 7. Contrary to what some may believe, I'm not going to skip ahead until their 11 or something like that… we need logical procession people, as much as some may hate the sound of that *giggles*   
  
Oh yes, nearing the good parts *gives devious grin* Just to tell you… don't ever expect something, you may be sorely disappointed if you do. *innocent smile* That said… well, what do you guys think of this chapter? *grins* It was kind of hard to write… and thus a bit shorter than my last one. Kinda sad too… hn. See… Lucius is a bastard and he isn't one… quite a role the guy plays, isn't it? Lmao, you don't know whether to hate him or love him… at least I don't. -.-;;;   
  
*yawns* Sleepy… So glad I got this chapter done. Next one may come out late because I might be writing another chapter of Aether before another chapter of this, I'm still not sure. Hmm… you know what I think? I think that I should get an online journal, might be fun. ^^;; Though which one… I'd prefer a live journal really, but those require codes *large sweatdrop* which I don't have. Ah well, I'll just go start bugging people I suppose.   
  
~   
  
My e-mail address is flyby311@hotmail.com and put Single Choice or fanfic or Harry Potter or something similar to that, so I know what the e-mail is about. Anything you want to add/criticize/comment/whatever you guys just review it… please?


	9. Two Worlds Apart

A Single Choice   
Chapter Nine- Two Worlds Apart   
By- IceWind 

  
**A/N:**   
**Disclaimer**: Harry Potter and everything in its franchise is owned by J.K Rowling and whoever else has rights to the books. I have no claim whatsoever to the characters; the plot is entirely mine though, as is any new characters that I might introduce into the story. Rating is PG-13; though it may turn to R later.   
  
**Warnings**: Probably slash in later chapters… which for those who do not know what that means, it means boy/boy, yaoi, shounen-ai, or homosexuals if you want to get technical. It's AU (alternate universe) Definitely AU; nobody could mistake it for anything else. I accept constructive criticism, and flames are fine as well just as long as you don't care if I write a reply, most probably sarcastic, unless you actually had a good reason… though that would probably go under the constructive criticism column and I wouldn't do anything but thank you. ^_^   
  
O.o; I just saw one of the greatest movies of my life… Spirited Away ^^; It was sooo good! I mean the animation, music, plot, characters… absolutely stunning. I urge all of you to go out and see it ^^;   


  
**PeachDancer82**: Aww… *pats back* Nah, she didn't bond them, that's too overdone and while my story may be cliché-ish at parts, I don't want to go completely overboard.   


****

Jalee: *large sweatdrop* Girl! Didn't I tell you that before? Lmao. Slash? -.-;; MUCH later… *sweatdrop* Don't worry, Draco isn't going to act like a puff-ball… *snickers* forever!   
  
**Shakiya**: Ahh… lol ^^; Erm, the next chapter IS going to take me about a month to get out *quietly sneaks away* my explanation is on the bottom author's notes lol. They won't meet again for some time actually…   
  
**Coriander**: *shakes head* Nope, no mpreg. Ahh, and don't worry about the threesome thing… I do the same thing *large sweatdrop* Though the threesomes I think about probably aren't the same pairings you go for *snickers* Anyway… what's TMI? *looks curious* I don't know if the story is or isn't one.   
  
**Frizzy**: *evil smirk* Lol, good idea… though my version isn't going to be like that… well, I don't think so, haven't gotten that far in thinking yet x.x With a good reason of course. Hogwarts… anyway, I might skip straight to that after this chapter, I'm not completely sure yet.   
  
**Fanny chan**: -.-; Yes, yes, fine! Slash! Sheesh! That's all people are asking! :P lol, j/k, though, yeah, I do think it's going to be slash. Why don't we wait for the boys to grow up a bit though ^.~   
  
**Kimmy**: A bastard? *large sweatdrop* Aww… but he's doing it for everyone's own good! Lol   
  
**Xamona**: *squeals* I got regular readers! *squashes Xamona in a hug* Lolies, wondering where you were :P Oh, they're sooo going to change *evil, all-knowing smile* Mmm… the conversation issue is dealt with in this chapter… and will be dealt with again in the next, you'll see what I mean *winks*   
  
**Stormy 1x2**: *sniggers softly* Aww… but you have to look at it at Lucius' point of view as well, he's doing what he thinks is best for the entire family. Sacrifices have to be made for the greater good and all of that crap *giggles*   
  
**Asellus/smallfry/Rarity88/Geminizstarz (good guess)/npetrenko/not all there (Maria)/Silver Angel/Youko Gingitsune/serapotter**: Thanks for reviewing!   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
Two long years have passed since their separation, though both boys continued on with their lives, thinking to themselves that they'll see the other once more in the future. Things weren't as bad as they have first seemed, after only a year it was found that Harry and Draco could connect with each other once more (though only when touching Ayrin and Tyr) and talk mentally. Though that could only happen infrequently, the distance getting to them, slight fatigue after, it was enough to assuage some loneliness they had. Especially for Harry who had no companions in Malfoy Manor except for Narcissa, the occasional Lucius, Severus, the house elves, and the manor itself.   


All in all, they were probably not the company a growing boy should have. Though one must admit that Harry was getting a stellar education (if only they could lighten up on the work load) and was getting more knowledgeable every day… even if it was only in magic and such things like that. Most of what he did was study magic, learn magic, live and breathe magic. To defeat Voldemort… that was Harry's ultimate goal, and Lucius never allowed him to forget it…   
  
"Wrong! Angle must be at 45 degrees as you tilt your wand. You must be precise, completely accurate, even a slight measurement off can change the spell," Lucius' voice rang out into the room, his gray eyes foreboding as he looked down at Harry.   
  
The young boy frowned a bit, angling his wand once again, inwardly muttering the way that he was supposed to perform this reduction spell. _Angle 45 degrees, swing in a rapid circle, flick… Perfect…_ A look of glee flickered onto his face as the statue he had been aiming at finally reduced in size, the once man-sized sculpture of a dragon now pocket size. A brief smile passed through his lips as he looked up at Lucius through a fringe of ebony hair, seeking his approval silently.   
  
The man just gave him the faintest of smiles and a slight reclining of the head before his usual stony expression -sometimes Harry believed that Lucius could give Severus a run for his money in terms of keeping one's features completely composed- was set upon his face. He gave the statue a critical look, before a flick of his wand and several words returned it to its original state. Lucius spoke blandly, "Again. No hesitation, smoothly execute, be quick about it! Nobody would bloody care if you get a spell correct if you take too long!"   
  
Harry bit back a retort, the small boy pouting at the words Lucius threw at him. Really, he understood his job, that he was supposed to defeat Voldemort, but sometimes… sometimes he just wanted to have fun, to run outside with Ayrin instead of being cooped up with the books.   
  
As if following along with his thoughts, the black wolf by his side raised its head and gave his bonded a mournful look, apparently terribly bored. He was currently lying down -the standard position now when Harry was learning- by Harry's side, forelegs curled up under him. Ayrin's head had previously been on the floor, but now was looking up at his bonded avidly, the dark blue eyes searching as the pup's voice whined in Harry's head, _Done? Bored!_   
  
A soft sigh escaped Harry's lips as he lowered his hand down and gave the Astrali wolf a brief pat on the head, aware that Lucius was looking impatient and annoyed. The boy looked up hesitantly towards the man before his wand flicked towards the statue once again, his mouth hurriedly producing the words. …That was faster, right? He spoke silently towards Ayrin while looking towards Lucius, _~Not yet, Ayrin. Gotta keep up with the lessons, don't want Lucius to get angry…~   
  
Want to go outside! Hunt!_   
  
The enthused words of the wolf flashed through Harry's head, and the boy restrained a smile, secretly amused at his pup's words. Ever since Ayrin had started to hunt, the pup had been a bit antsier than normal… and those times he talked to Draco using their link, he had learned that Tyr was the same way. Perhaps it was because the pups were growing up?   
  
"-arry!"   
  
Harry's head jerked up at the half-formed word, squirming in his place as Lucius pinned annoyed eyes on him. Apparently he was thinking too much towards Ayrin that he lost his concentration with Lucius, again. While Lucius let it slide the first time, after a bit of grumbling and a glare towards the wolf, Harry knew that Lucius was getting more and more annoyed.   
  
His words were sheepish, soft, and ultimately sorrowful, "Sorry…" Seeing as Lucius wasn't yet convinced on how sorry he actually was, Harry planted firmly on his face his little puppy-dog look, the lost one, the one that pretty much got him out of severe punishments. It always worked on Narcissa… and Severus… but Lucius was another matter, it may work sometimes, it may not others. With Lucius, it was a game of chance.   
  
And apparently it wasn't going to work this time, because Lucius truly looked incensed over this deviation of concentration. "Boy!" At that word, Harry cringed. Lucius never used 'boy' unless he was truly upset, "You cannot keep talking with that animal! Last chance, or else Ayrin will stay in your room until your lessons are over."   
  
Harry's head jerked up at those words, and his emerald eyes widened even more, seeing as it was no idle threat. He barely heard Ayrin's soft growl at his side, the pup not liking the tone nor the words being spoken. But that was abruptly cut off when Lucius swung his glare towards the wolf, Ayrin cringing back and hiding behind Harry.   
  
Lucius' voice was soft, almost a self-satisfied purr, "Now… try it again, and faster this time. Much too slow on your last try. Remember Harry, your purpose is to defeat Voldemort, never forget this. To defeat him, you must become better than him." His lips curved upwards slightly, eyes dark as the man contemplated the Dark Lord's demise.   
  
A slow nod answered him, Harry refusing to look down on Ayrin, keeping his wand steady as he focused his attention back onto the statue while drawing up a tendril of dark green energy. He heard Lucius' sharp words to start and automatically began the incantation while swishing his wand around, calming himself when the spell was done, watching the statue shrink once more. He glanced over towards Lucius, seeking approval.   
  
The man seemed contemplative, but his words were cool, calm, not a hint of emotion showing now, "Very good. Though you need some work. I want the exact movement needed down, not a degree out of place, flowing and smooth. You are to be flawless, Harry, absolutely flawless..."   
  
~   
  
"You're back father?" Draco's voice floated down the halls, his voice faintly curious as he peeked out of his rooms, Tyr padding at his heels. "Did you bring a letter for me?" He smiled softly; the usually completely composed and blank look now vanished in light of receiving his letter from Harry. He always got a letter from Harry when Lucius came back, always.   


He watched his father's proud form ascend the stairs, and while waiting, he took out his wand and cast a quick spell, murmuring softly, "_Tempus_." He glanced quickly at the floating numbers before dispelling it with a wave of his wand. _4:30… father is early by an hour, strange._ Faintly curious silver eyes darted back towards his father, eyeing the approaching form silently.   
  
Lucius reached Draco, handing his son a letter, speaking in brief tones, "We are to have some company tonight." The man was a bit tired after the lesson with Harry, but the black-haired boy was progressing satisfactorily… in fact, he was advancing at a faster pace than previously expected, most excellent. "You are to entertain Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, while I talk to their fathers." A thoughtful look crossed his face, "Perhaps you can… foster their loyalty."   
  
Interest flickered momentarily in Draco's silver eyes, "Foster their loyalty?" He tilted his head slightly to the side, contemplative. He was only seven of course; it wasn't as if he was to be expected to know everything that his father talks about. He clutched the letter that Lucius gave him, eager to read it, but needing to find out what to do for later on tonight, "Umm… what do you mean?"   
  
A faintly exasperated sigh sounded, Lucius vaguely irritated that Draco hadn't figured it out yet. He then gave a faint smile, voice cool, "Curry their friendship if you will, allies at the very least if you can't. I expect you not to fail, remember, you are a Malfoy and Malfoys…" He left the end of the sentence hang, for Draco to finish.   
  
"…are perfect. Understood father."   
  
Lucius' smile widened a bit more in approval before he let his expression drop, his hand lightly ruffling Draco's hair as he moved on towards his study, to get ready for the arrivals. He tossed his next words casually, "Very good, Draco. You'll make the Malfoys proud."   
  
Draco's gaze stayed on Lucius' back until he disappeared from sight. Then he glanced down towards the silent Tyr, smiling faintly, "Come Tyr, let's see what Harry and Ayrin have to say." He walked back into the room, absentmindedly tearing through the seal and opening the letter, smoothing it out on his desk as he sat down.   
  
_What does brother say? Wanna know!_ Tyr's tail wagged merrily, the pale eyes open and bright. The white pup scampered around Draco's feet, his insistent mind-voice breaking through Draco's own thoughts_. Well? Read! …never mind_ The last was said when the silly pup forgot that he could pluck the words from his bonded's mind easily enough, tongue lolling as Tyr gave a puppyish grin.   
  
Draco ignored his pup's ramblings, eager eyes scanning the parchment, taking in the words that were written there in a messy scrawl.   
  
_Drake and Tyr,   
Same things happening at the Manor, 'cissa says that she misses you lots. I do to… and so does Ayrin. At least 'cissa can visit you both. Wish you could come back home. Lucius is making me practice even more, but sometimes it hurts… does it hurt for you? But it's going away, I dunno why, Ayrin says something about growing into powers, silly puppy. But at least I'm getting better now. I didn't tell 'cissa or Lucius, they have lots to think about with Voldemort and everything.   
I'm learning lots of new spells and it gets easier every time too! But… Lucius keeps telling me to work harder and do things faster. I try lots, but… sometimes I need more time and can't do it, then he looks… disappointed. I don't wanna disappoint Lucius or 'cissa. It'll all be better when you get home… can you visit yet? Please? Ayrin misses you and Tyr lots and I do to…   
_  
At the bottom of the letter was the familiar messy signature that Harry always put down and an imprint of Ayrin's paw.   
  
A faint sigh escaped Draco's mouth, the pale boy frowning slightly, muttering into the air, "I wanna go home…" He considered stamping his foot on the ground, but considering that Lucius wasn't there (which probably was a good thing in hindsight) to see him do so, the effect was rather wasted. Thus, all he could do was brood and complain to Tyr on how unfair it was.   
_  
Miss Ayrin…_ Tyr's soft mind-voice injected itself into Draco's mind, the pup winding around the boy's feet. The ivory wolf's tail and ears drooped slightly at the thought, the voice saddening holding a faintly whining tone, _Wanna go back too! Let's go then!_ It was as if the pup had made up its mind and Tyr started to perk up again, tilting his head slightly to the side, the pale eyes expectant as they locked onto Draco's face.   
  
A fond smile stretched itself on Draco's face and he knelt down next to his wolf pup -who was getting quite large- and hugged Tyr lightly, ruffling the soft fur. "Can't… Lucius said that we couldn't, not yet. Isn't safe for us or Harry. We gotta go entertain Vincent and Gregory later," suddenly the boy's voice lowered and became more serious, "Malfoys do not fail."   
  
His expression then lightened, the blond-haired boy locking gazes with his pup, "But I'm worried 'bout Harry and Ayrin. He said that it hurt for him sometimes… why, Tyr? Ayrin knows, so you do as well." The last part wasn't said in a question, it was a clear fact, simply stated. While the pups were just animals, they saw things that the boys didn't, understood more than some would guess. But they were simpler in a way, concerned only for themselves and the 'pack'.   
  
The pup blinked soft blue eyes at him, the mind-voice strangely contemplative, _Power is hard to have, bonded. The more you have, the more responsibility, the probability that there is more pain heightens as well. Power, responsibility, and pain go hand in hand, they are absolute   
_  
Draco didn't believe that Tyr had ever said that many impressive sounding, serious words in the entirety of the pup's young life. The boy couldn't help but blink a few times, voicing out uncertainly, "That's you, Tyr, right?"   


Tyr suddenly seemed to shake himself, the playful pale blue eyes staring up at Draco, _Of course! But we gotta protect the pack, the pack is important _The pups seemed nearly fanatical about protecting the 'pack' the well-being of the 'pack'. It probably would have been scary to Draco if only he wasn't so used to it already.   
  
A patient smile appeared on the boy's face, deciding to ignore the big-sounding words that Tyr used—for now. "Of course, Tyr, gotta protect the pack… let's get ready. They're coming soon and father says that we have to gain their friendship…"   
_  
I see no need for friendships outside of the pack_   
  
The blond-boy halted, his silver eyes suddenly pinned back on his pup's form, confusion flickering in his eyes, "What? Why not?" Curiosity was apparent in his voice, though some traces of puzzlement filtered through, "Pack is important, but other people are too."   
  
Suddenly the pup stood up on his hind legs, leaning against the boy, blue meeting silver, _If you say so_ Then, promptly, the pup gave Draco a predictably messy lick on the face before falling down and bounding off towards the foyer. Draco trailed behind him, schooling his face into a perfect polite mask, calmness and surety in his ever quickening stride.   
  
~   
  
"Ready, Harry?" Narcissa looked towards the boy at her side, reminiscing about the times when he was younger and clutched to her. How fast they grew up. She smiled lovingly down at him as he looked up towards her, a faintly eager expression on his face.   
  
Harry smiled at her and gave a nod, "Yes, let's go meet Sev!" His enthused voice filled the room in the manor, feeling in the back of his head the faint amusement of the building. Ayrin paced steadily at his side, the dark blue of the wolf's eyes looking around curiously.   
  
Curiosity appeared in Narcissa's pale eyes, her voice lightly inquiring as she spoke, "Why are you always excited for your lessons with Severus?" As she spoke, her hand moved towards the pocket of her robes and her wand, ready to apparate to the selected destination, which was the fake house that she and Harry were supposed to be living in, Severus still had no clue to the existence of the true Malfoy Manor. It was better off that way; besides, it wasn't as if it was possible for the man to enter Malfoy Manor, even if he did know where it was and how to get there.   
  
A simple voice answered her, "Because he talks about Draco with me, Lucius doesn't. Ayrin likes Sev as well, says that the man smells comfortable, not icky, like some of that stuff you used to wear." He shot a slightly sheepish glance towards Narcissa, his fingers curling in Ayrin's black fur.   
  
A soft laugh answered him, Narcissa amused by the words. Yes, she clearly remembered the time when Harry told her that some of the perfumes upset Ayrin- the shy boy approaching, the pup staying far away in the background, the sheepish voice that emitted from his mouth. In fact, she had been slightly horrified to know that some of her perfumes have been disturbing Ayrin -and consequently Harry- for such a long time. Needless to say, the expensive perfume was immediately carted off and thrown out, Lucius slightly vexed that she had done so (some of the bottles _had_ cost more than one hundred galleons…), but understanding to some degree.   
  
She watched curiously as Harry tilted his head to the side and suddenly chuckled, realizing that Ayrin must have been talking to him. It was a bit disconcerting at times when Harry and Ayrin talked to each other, did things with no prior warning but the words and thoughts that passed through them. But it seemed right though, you can't have Harry without Ayrin, just as you can't have the wolf pup without a little boy trailing after it.   
  
She smiled fondly at the mental image.   
  
"We go now?"   
  
Harry gently touched her robes and she glanced down at him once more, eyes shining with hidden mirth. A faint flush appeared on her neck when she realized that she had been caught in her memories once more, but hid it well. She took out her wand and made sure that they were all touching, concentrating as she began the incantation, wouldn't want any stray bits hanging around after the spell, splicing -while not painful- was extremely embarrassing, especially if Severus were to catch them.   
  
They disappeared with the softest of 'pops'.   
  
~   
  
"Sev!" Harry said cheerfully, peeking into the potion's room that Severus was currently working in. The little boy crept up on him, frowning slightly when it seemed as if the other man was ignoring him. His black wolf pup ghosted along side of him, the intelligent dark blue eyes looking up curiously.   
  
Harry frowned a bit harder when it seemed as if Severus was ignoring on him, reaching out a hand to tug on part of the man's robes…   
  
"Don't touch me!" An irritable voice came from Severus' lips, his hands carefully dropping in a drop, then two, of some greenish liquid that Harry recognized as hedgehog bile. The man cautiously looked at the mixture before picking up a quill and jotting down several notes, eyes not even for a moment straying towards Harry and Ayrin.   
  
Harry quieted, a faint smile still on the boy's face as he propped himself up on the table, idly waiting for the man to finish with the potion. That's how it was sometimes… he was used to Sev snapping at him, he thought that it was rather funny actually. Besides, Ayrin liked Sev, so Harry had to like Sev… it made sense in his head anyway.   
  
Deciding that since Sev said no touching that didn't mean that he couldn't _talk_ now did it? A decidedly impish smile appeared briefly on Harry's face, giggling as he spoke in rather loud tones, "Are you done yet, Sev? Huh? Huh?" He squirmed in his seat, Ayrin watching on with curious eyes, the wolf pup lying on the floor by Harry's side, just as he was supposed to do.   
  
The potions master twitched a bit, irritated obsidian eyes finally glancing up and locking onto the emerald green of the boy's. He felt a wave of déjà vu pass over him at the sight, but he shook his head lightly, frowning slightly in concentration as he tried to discern where he saw the specific shade of green somewhere before. It seemed so familiar to him…   
  
"Is that supposed to turn that color, Sev?"   
  
Harry watched in plain amusement as Severus jerked his eyes away from his with a softly uttered curse, the man almost twitching at the sight of his potion ruined, what was supposed to be a clear blue was now a murky green, a distinctly ugly green too. He giggled softly as he heard Sev give a sigh, the man getting up and dumping the potion out. Deciding that this was as good as a time as any -he hadn't really learned the meaning of tact yet- Harry chirped out brightly, "How's Draco?"   


The man just swung his gaze around and let it linger on the boy for a moment, Harry squirming in his seat and frowning when Severus didn't answer. The man gave a smirk and drawled out softly, "Aren't we supposed to be learning about potions and other subjects? Really, Harry, you would think that you would know the procedure by now."   
  
Procedure… heh, by now the man had learned that to get any real effort from the boy (without resorting to threats and such) was to withhold any and all information about Draco until they were done with the lesson. A bit of a reward if you will, though Harry never stopped asking at the beginning of the lesson for some strange reason.   
  
A petulant look greeted the statement, but in the next second the boy seemed to perk up once more, a friendly smile set onto the face. "Okay," Harry murmured agreeable, nearly bouncing in his steps as he sat down at his seat in front of a cauldron. Curious emerald green eyes peered up at Severus as he queried, "What potion are we working on? …Not the healing potion right? I dun think it was supposed to eat through the table like what happened last time…" Harry's voice trailed off at the end, a soft snicker making itself heard.   
  
Severus refused to groan, though he couldn't stop his lips from twitching once, if from amusement or annoyance, Harry would never know. His velvety voice was heard as the man spoke in even tones, "Yes, the healing potion. You are to get it correct, absolutely correct. Lucius has said that you were supposed to master everything that came your way." Only a private grimace showed his opinion on that subject, though Severus knew that Lucius was just trying to do what was best.   
  
…If it was for the boy or for Lucius himself, Severus didn't know.   
  
He continued on, "Last time you stirred it clock-wise when it was supposed to be counter-clockwise… and it was three strokes too many. You also added to much adder fang. Added with the little list of other errors caused it to have an adverse reaction and become a sort of acid, which caused it to eat through the table. Don't make the same mistakes."   
  
Wisps of ebony hair were blown out of the way as Harry huffed out and began to collect the ingredients needed for the healing potion. Not a very complex potion, it was still more than anyone Harry's age would be doing, in fact, it was something Severus used for first year at Hogwarts… not that the man was going to tell him, no need for the boy to get a swelled head now.   
  
The boy frowned thoughtful, chewing on his bottom lip lightly -Severus muttered to himself about breaking the boy of the habit- his face full of concentration as he worked. This was different than just launching off spells, Harry couldn't apply his raw magical power into his potion, well… he didn't know how to. Ayrin said that there was a way, but the pup hadn't yielded any answers, instead, Ayrin always seemed to just laugh inside Harry's head and keep quiet.   
  
"Don't stir too fast," Severus' voice cut through the silence, breaking it for the first time in twenty minutes, it was amazing on how still the boy could get at times. His gaze flickered down towards the wolf, faintly curious over the fact that the animal hadn't moved from its position, hardly made a sound in fact. As if sensing his thoughts, Ayrin lifted his head slightly and flicked both ears towards him.   
  
Harry's eyes never left the cauldron -he knew better than doing that, especially considering what happened before with Severus- but he stirred at a slower pace, the slender boy muttering under his breath the number of times he went around. Finally he seemed to be done and stopped stirring, his gaze breaking away from the cauldron to look at Severus uncertainly, "Done?"   
  
A dry voice answered, "You should know that yourself. Check the color, consistency… is it how it's supposed to be? " Unlike telling his students at Hogwarts what was wrong, Severus had the luxury and time to have Harry figure it out for himself, which was how it should really be. He believed that the boy learned more, and at a better pace, if he was able to figure things out for himself… even if he wasn't the greatest in potions. Draco was falling only a little bit behind from Harry, and Severus met up with the young Malfoy heir much less than he met up with Harry.   
  
A pout greeted his statement, Harry sighing a bit before complying with his instructions. The little boy refused to stick his finger into the mixture… especially considering what happened last time, it was expected that the liquid could probably melt the flesh from his bones. An uncertain look entered his eyes before he glanced down towards Ayrin, silently asking a question.   
  
The wolf pup swung its attention from Severus and locked gazes with Harry, his tail beating lightly on the floor, _Smells a bit off from the one the Man did. But better than last time… I dun think it would go through the table anymore. That was very scary_ Solemn dark blue eyes scanned the form of his bonded.   
  
Harry nodded in agreement, a faint smile lighting up the boy's face before he chirped to Severus, "Smell's okay… well Ayrin says that it's a bit off, but that's alright… right?" His bottom lip jutted out slightly again, silently pleading for the man to just say the potion was fine…though the chances of that happening were extremely slim to tell the truth.   
  
"What did I tell you about using Ayrin to tell you about how the potion is?" An exasperated voice answered him, Severus refusing to roll his eyes and appear weakened in front of the boy, "And you only checked the smell, what about the other properties of the potion?" A sly smirk crossed the man's face, "Why don't we try it on you and see if it holds up to the test? All we would have to do is make a little cut and pour the potion on…"   
  
The black-haired boy gave a small 'eep' and moved back slightly, pouting full force at Sev. The last time he had tried to pass off a potion in this manner, Severus had made him take it and instead of floating in the air for a second or two… he grew spots. Big ugly purple ones… he never thought that Ayrin or 'cissa could laugh so much…   
  
Severus' lips twitched slightly in amusement, eyeing the boy for a moment before speaking once more, "I suppose that's a no then. Pity. Very well… I'll check the potion, but just this once." Severus refused to think that he was getting soft on the boy, absolutely refused to even when he moved towards the potion and checked it.   
  
"Well?" Bright eyes stared at the potions master, Harry almost hopping in place as he waited for what Sev would say to him about his potion.   
  
Ayrin, sensing that the lesson was almost complete, got up lithely, a soft whine coming out of his muzzle, proclaiming how bored he was waiting for this entire human thing to be over. The black wolf leaned his head on Harry for a moment, eyes half-lidded as the boy scratched him behind his ears.   
  
All Severus did was give a passive smile, muttering to himself as he looked down into the potion… and finally dipped a finger into the mixture. His obsidian eyes flickered back onto Harry's impatient form, finally saying, "Not bad, though far from perfect." He could see the disappointment etched onto the youngsters face, but continued on speaking methodically, "But I suppose it's enough for now… now what was it you wanted to speak of?" He gave an inward smile to himself, knowing exactly what the boy wanted to know.   
  
"Draco of course!" Harry gave Sev a funny look, something between a glare and happiness, "You know that! Come on!" He grabbed the older man by the hand -missing the fond smile that appeared on said man's face- and tugged Sev out the door and towards the study, Ayrin padding faithfully at their heels. Some things could wait, information on Draco could not.   
  
~   


"Hello…" Draco gave the customary polite smile towards the two large boys, only his hand curled up in Tyr's fur betraying any nervousness he may have had. Not that they would have noticed, it seemed as a natural gesture really. "Welcome to Malfoy Manor." Out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted his father greeting Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle.   
  
Lucius glanced over at his son, before finally saying to Jonathon Crabbe and Merric Goyle, "Draco can entertain Vincent and Gregory… let's go talk in the study." Seeing the two men nod their agreements, Lucius led the way, leaving his son to his own devices.   
  
"I'm Vincent, you can call me Vince," a bit thick looking, but the boy gave a tentative smile towards Draco, before finally looking down at Tyr who stood by the blond-hair boy's side, "That's Greg… is that a real wolf?"   
  
Draco's gaze swept over the two boys, eyeing them in a calm manner, while inwardly nervous. This was to be expected considering how much bigger they were to him… they practically made him seem like a dwarf in comparison. They also looked a big mean, sort of like school yard bullies (though Draco didn't know this), and not entirely too bright.   
  
Picking up on his bonded's emotions, Tyr whined uncertainly before growling softly towards Vince and Greg, stepping in front of Draco, while showing a small line of sharp teeth. The wolf's entire posture was one towards aggression; ears laid back, body crouching and protective in front of Draco. _Hurt bonded and me hurt you…_   
  
Though they couldn't hear the words the wolf made, it was apparent what it meant and the two boys backed off slightly, Greg muttering nervously, "Is it going to bite us?" Vince looked scared next to him, the boy locking eyes with the wolf and not moving the slightest bit.   
  
A faint frown marred Draco's face before he calmly laid a hand on Tyr's back, the wolf relaxing almost immediately. _Malfoy's are perfect…_ He gave the two boys an uncertain smile, "No, I won't let Tyr hurt you. He's just a bit nervous… It's nice to meet you." His manners were impeccable, a faint smile lining his face, refusing to look weak in front of the other two boys.   
  
Suddenly Vince spoke up, his voice low, "It's a lovely wolf, reminds me of the ones running on our estate… before my father drove them off." Faint sadness flickered in his tone at the end of the sentence, the heavy-set boy coming a bit closer, yet still shy.   
  
Tyr backed off then, the wolf nudging Draco's hand with a cold, wet, nose. Draco immediately stroked the furry head, grinning a bit more, "Tyr isn't going anywhere, he can't go anywhere."   
  
"Why not?" This time it was Greg who spoke and he came closer as well, a genuine spark of interest in his eyes. "My father won't let anything like that on our property…" His eyes flickered from the wolf to the boy, eyeing him closely for a moment.   
  
An airy voice answered him, "My father isn't afraid of anything like Tyr, besides, he's my bonded." A real, tentative smile appeared on Draco's face, "Let's go into the woods, I can show you everything that Tyr can do, he's the best!" The slender boy started off towards the forest, a faint smile stretched on his face, Tyr padding quietly by his side.   
  
Vince smiled as he and Greg followed the small boy, both of the silently amazed that Draco treated them differently than the others. Everyone else seemed to think that they were both stupid, completely and utterly hopeless… even their families at times. But Draco just let them come with him, even called off the wolf…   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   


*grins* Another chapter bites the dust! *cackles* And it didn't take me overly long to write this one out… right? Anyway, the next one is going to take a while in coming out considering that I really need to write a chapter of one of my other stories (Aether again lol) before the readers for the one kill me. X.x Ah well…   
  
Anyway, on a better note, I got a livejournal! *starts jumping around* I'll show you the stats of my stories in there as well as what I'm doing with them. Thanks to **90schild** for the code! ^___^ My username is **flyby311** (someone took IceWind ;.; ) I'd give you all the url, but for some reason it just doesn't seem to show up here. *twitch*   


Okay, just one itty bitty question now… should I keep them at age 7 for one more chapter or just bump them up to 11 because I'm getting pissed off that they're still little? Lmao ^^;   
  
One last thing… Lucius seems to keep changing right? *sighs and wacks Lucius* He does things without me knowing! BAD LUCIUS! *Lucius smirks and gives her the finger* …how un-Malfoy-ish *pouts and glares* Ah well… he isn't all that bad, just a bit preoccupied, and a bit worried over how everything is going to turn out, he gets nicer later, I swear.   
  
~   
  
My e-mail address is flyby311@hotmail.com and put Single Choice or fanfic or Harry Potter or something similar to that, so I know what the e-mail is about. Anything you want to add/criticize/comment/whatever you guys just review it… please?   



	10. Complications

A Single Choice   
Chapter Ten- Complications   
By- IceWind

  
**A/N:**   
**Disclaimer**: Harry Potter and everything in its franchise is owned by J.K Rowling and whoever else has rights to the books. I have no claim whatsoever to the characters; the plot is entirely mine though, as is any new characters that I might introduce into the story. Rating is PG-13; though it may turn to R later.   
  
**Warnings**: Probably slash in later chapters… which for those who do not know what that means, it means boy/boy, yaoi, shounen-ai, or homosexuals if you want to get technical. It's AU (alternate universe) Definitely AU; nobody could mistake it for anything else. I accept constructive criticism, and flames are fine as well just as long as you don't care if I write a reply, most probably sarcastic, unless you actually had a good reason… though that would probably go under the constructive criticism column and I wouldn't do anything but thank you. ^_^   
  
Whee! The next chapter in _less_ than a month! *pleased look*

****

PeachDancer82: *grins* Nah, Lucius isn't going to teach anything to Harry like that, Harry has a schedule full of things he has to learn first. And magic wise you mean? Then yes, I would think that Harry was stronger than Draco.

****

Jalee: *giggles softly* I dunno, I forgot now too ^^; *wags a finger in front of your face* Again! What is with everyone assuming that they're just going to meet when they're eleven? *shuts up and smirks*

****

Momma-dar: I keep jumping around in ages, don't I? The last chapter they were 7, this chapter they're 11. ^^; And yes, I've figured out what house I'm putting Harry in *winks*

****

Rebuky: *thoughtful look* Much later *snickers* Sev will find out much later. 

****

Purr: *blushes hotly* Unique? Aww… and you got your wish, they're eleven ^.~

****

Fanny chan: I like giving characters depth. Perhaps the only thing I didn't like in Rowling's books was that everything seemed so black and white to me, it was really annoying. ^^; 

****

Smallfry: -.-; Umm… may as well tell you since you find out in this chapter. Draco is going to Hogwarts now, Harry… later on.

****

Zsaigais: *giggles softly* Wow, you read Aether too? ^__^ Damn, I feel all happy now. And err… Ron appears in this chapter ^^; 

****

Xamona: *blinks… smiles sheepishly and lets go* So'k if you take some time to review, just as long as you do *giggles* Lucius isn't good! ^^; Yeah, but you know that already. I like giving my characters more depth, not everyone is fully evil (okay, perhaps Voldemort, but he has his reasons too) and not everyone is completely good. Lmao, I know what you mean, me and one other friend are the only people who read fanfiction/write it. ^^;

**Kimmy/bluevanilla/shakiya/Atlantia/Frizzy/MerlinHalliwll/Anoxy(yes heh, not telling!)/DreamerofHope/Xirleb70/Auseakret/Jordan:** Thanks for your comments!

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

-I'm going to Hogwarts tomorrow…- Draco's voice whispered softly into Harry's mind, the other boy curled up in his bed, one arm under his head, eyes closed. 

Harry yawned softly, arm reaching over and lightly stroking Ayrin's ear, his expression serene as he replied back absentmindedly, _-Lucius said something like that. I'm… not going, but you know that. How was your birthday, Drake?-_

Recently both boys had figured out that their link had gotten stronger, letting them to talk to each other twice a day at the most. They thought that it would get easier once Draco went to Hogwarts since the school was closer to the Malfoy Manor than the fake manor that Draco was currently staying at. Which truthfully, they were happy on discovering, yet sad at the same time that Harry wasn't allowed to go to Hogwart's as well… Lucius' reasoning was that he could give a better education than that 'fool' Dumbledore.

Which may or may not be correct, they didn't know, though both of them were of the thought that Lucius was indeed correct… they couldn't remember a time when he wasn't. Of course, it didn't stop the eleven year olds from being melancholy over the fact that they couldn't see each other yet again. 

__

-It was fine… Vincent and Gregory came of course, as did Pansy and others. I was a bit bored to tell the truth, though Tyr had the greatest time sneaking off into some nearby woods and meeting up with a bear-

It was nice hearing Draco's voice, Harry mused to himself as he laid, sprawled on the bed. They haven't been able to talk for the past several weeks due to Harry's extreme exhaustion and Draco's busyness in getting ready to go to Hogwarts and other social events he was forced to attend. A frowned marred his face as he turned slightly, ignoring Ayrin's indignant yelp; _-Wish I could have went…-_

__

-Father wouldn't have let you, you know that. How's your training going by the way? Severus and Father seemed to have slowed down in teaching me, how about you?-

A wistful smile appeared on Harry's face as he buried his head further into his soft, downy pillow, sensing more than seeing Ayrin sneak up beside him, the wolf snuggling down by the his side. _-If anything, my training has speeded up… Lucius is planning something large though I'm not sure what exactly that is. 'cissa doesn't seem to happy with him though… nor does Sev actually-_

-Interesting…-

Harry shrugged slightly, even knowing that Draco couldn't see him do the movement, and shifted slightly as he reached out to rub Ayrin's fur. _-Connection is cutting short…-_ That was true, he was starting to strain his mind to continue to reach Draco, _-I'll talk to you later, Drake-_ A soft agreement filled his mind and Harry sighed as he snuggled down into his blankets, fully prepared to fall asleep.

Suddenly Ayrin lifted his head, completely alert from his half-drowsy state; ears flicking back as a low growl emanated from the wolf. 

"Ayrin…?" Harry spoke softly, opening his eyes and propping himself up on his elbow, confusion appearing on his face, "What's…" He never had the chance to finish his question when something suddenly leapt towards him from the shadows in the corner of his room.

It was hissing furiously, large, sharp teeth diving for Harry's throat. Harry gave a strangled yelp as he dove to the side, something akin to panic in his mind, arm immediately going to where he stored his wand. He grasped the smooth wood firmly and brought it out… only to have to dodge again -tumbling off the bed and hitting the floor hard- when the thing tried to slash at him. 

__

Too slow… He gasped and frantically tried to get up, knowing he was moving too slowly for him to dodge the creature's quick strikes. Emerald eyes were wide, panic filled. The thing leaped off the bed and slashed at him, catching the corner of his shirt, ripping through it and scoring a light gash on Harry's arm as he tried to dodge again. Breathing became heavily labored as Harry tried to get his wand up to cast a proper incantation, mind shrieking instructions to him, which he clumsily tried to obey.

Before the creature could attack once more, Ayrin suddenly launched himself towards it, the wolf clamping his powerful jaws into the creature's soft under throat, a mighty yank ripping out the thing's throat. The creature jerked as it fell over, staining the floor a crimson red, twitching slightly on the floor for several seconds before going completely still.

The only sounds in the room then were Harry's breaths, coming in and out heavily, his arm clutched to him. And then the door opened, and Lucius walked in. 

For a moment Harry thought that Lucius was going to ask what happened, but then realized that the man had the calmest look on his face, as if… as if…

He knew all along.

"Why?" Harry's strangled voice raised from his throat, wand had dropped when he was slashed, the hand now clasping his bleeding wound. He ignored the biting pain; the blood that dripped slowly onto the floor, his hurt eyes fixed onto the composed gray ones.

Ayrin, having followed Harry's thoughts, suddenly growled and half lunged at the man, only to be stopped when Lucius paralyzed him with a quick spell, the black wolf falling heavily onto the floor, muffled snarls rising from his throat. _Alpha does not hurt pack! Alpha does NOT! You are no alpha! _The wolf disregarded his bonded who had rushed to his side, dark blue eyes staring accusingly at Lucius.

Lucius gave a soft sigh, shaking his head lightly, ignoring Harry's question for now as he looked around the trashed room, "I expected you to do better, at least fire off one spell… Harry, that is disappointing and unacceptable." 

The boy scrambled up from Ayrin's side, narrowed green eyes fixed on Lucius' face, hurt shining in them clearly, "I… my own room? Why was I attacked?" He trembled lightly, wondering to himself exactly what was going on. This would not have happened without the manor informing everyone, and how did the creature get passed all of the defenses anyway? That only left one answer really, that Lucius had let the creature get into his room, but why?

The blond haired man pursed his lips slightly, "I would have hoped that you would have at least figured that out. I must say that I'm disappointed in you, I expected you to do much better." He shook his head lightly, finger lightly tapping his wand as he raised it and muttered a few spells to clean the blood off the floor… yet he didn't heal Harry, "This was a test… but I will explain tomorrow, hurry up and bind your wound! No magic either." 

Harry gaped at Lucius for a moment and flinched away, his hand pressing against his wound. He glanced around for a moment before grabbing the piece of cloth that Lucius silently handed him, binding up his gash and tying a knot. Sloppily done, but it would do, and he glanced up at Lucius once more, shying away from the man, "Can you let Ayrin go?"

Lucius frowned a bit before sighing and waving his wand lightly, "_Finite Incantum."_ With those words Ayrin was suddenly free and the wolf surged back onto his feet. Then the man glanced down towards the carcass of the thing the wolf -and not Harry his mind groused- had dispatched and promptly got rid of it. He turned without another word and strode out, calling over his shoulder, "Go to sleep, we will discuss this after I get back from seeing Draco off."

Harry just clutched Ayrin to him, an incomprehensible look upon his face.

~

Draco looked around the train and platform with a slightly nervous expression before wiping it away so that no one could see it. His fingers were curled in Tyr's fur as he glanced around, wondering silently to himself what he was supposed to do now. Find Greg and Vince, that was his goal at least. He sighed softly as he made his way through the bustling crowd, vague feelings of guilt weighing down on him.

Harry had contacted him this morning, but due to his nervousness, he had been rather short with him and cut off the connection much sooner than he had too. He'd have to apologize later… Draco mentally sighed again as he glared at a nearby person who had bumped into him; Harry had sounded extremely upset as well… 

Growling lightly under his breath, Draco shook his head to clear off those thoughts, muttering softly to Tyr, "Stay close to me…" The white wolf whined softly, unknowingly drawing the attention of people who were now gaping at the sight of a wolf walking calmly at the boy's side.

"Draco!"

Interrupting his sneering at the local populous, Draco turned his head towards the familiar voice, not deigning to call out loudly as did his friend did. He eyed Vince (who was pulling Greg behind him) coming towards him, the other boy grinning. As soon as they got close enough so that his words -without raising his voice- could reach them, he spoke, "Hello you two."

Greg sighed as he pulled his arm out of Vince's grasp, his gaze darting down towards Tyr as he gave a slow smile and reached over to pet the wolf on the head, which Tyr welcomed with a wag of his tail and a merry lick. 

__

Them again! Hello! Hello! Granted, Tyr didn't seem to realize that the other two boys couldn't hear him, but continued to chatter mindlessly about things, _We go on train! Looks like lots of fun! Unless train is really evil…_ The wolf stopped it's furious wagging of his tail, cocking his head to the side, a contemplative look stealing over his light blue eyes, _Then me destroy! Yeah!_

Draco gave his bonded a tolerant smile, quite used to Tyr's erratic behavior. His gaze flickered back onto Vince and Greg, "How was your summer? Did you find a empty compartment yet?" He ruffled Tyr's fur lightly, ignoring the faint sounds of protest his bonded gave off.

"Summer went fine, father tried to teach me and Vince things, but…" Greg trailed off, shaking his head lightly, "You know that we don't do so well, like you do." He sighed as the three of them started to move into the train, "and yeah, Vince found this empty compartment and we threatened a few people that they weren't supposed to take it."

Amusement lit up Draco's silver eyes. Greg and Vince may be a bit slower in things than others, but they sure were handy for backup. Though it was kind of sad how everyone seemed to stereotype them… Vince and Greg weren't _that_ dumb, they just didn't learn as fast as other people, they had perfectly adequate skills elsewhere. 

When they reached the compartment, Draco sat down with a faint sigh, ignoring everyone else for a moment. Tyr laid sprawled at his feet, the white wolf closing its eyes and trying to go to sleep. 

"You miss your friend?"

Draco's eyes shot open at that remark and he looked around furiously to see if there was anyone else listening except for Vince and Greg. Seeing no one else, he sighed in relief, momentarily ignoring their amused looks. He narrowed his eyes slightly at the duo, "Are you trying to give me a heart attack? You know very well that I can't talk about my friend…" He groaned softly, "I shouldn't have even mentioned him to you."

Vince chuckled lightly, the large boy placing himself at the end of the other seat, ignoring Greg who sat down next to him, his eyes curiously looking at Draco, "It isn't as if you mentioned who he was to us. Just that he was some friend that you're not supposed to talk about, but missed greatly."

A faint smile came upon Draco's face, "Yes, but… I'd rather not talk about it now. Anyway," he switched subjects deftly, "think you're going to make it into Slytherin?" Faint amusement appeared in his silver eyes.

Greg raised his right shoulder in a half shrug, "Probably, we'll follow -or try to anyway- you, but you'll be in Slytherin, right? Being a Malfoy and all." He suddenly turned in his seat towards the door, which had opened, and he looked at the red-headed boy in confusion, his face suddenly getting blank and stony.

…Red-hair, freckles, looks like he needs more than a patch up job for his robes, that must be a Weasley, Draco mused silently to himself, feeling as if the temperature in the compartment dropped a few degrees. Greg and Vince looked on edge, though that was kind of understandable considering that they didn't have many good experiences with stranger.

"A Weasley, aren't you?" Draco's voice drawled out slowly as he looked condescendingly upon the boy's style of clothes. Seeing how young the other was, and the slightly lost look in his expression, then one would have to deduce that the other was a first year, like them. 

Ron narrowed his eyes a bit, spitting out venomously, "Malfoy."

Perhaps he stumbled into the wrong compartment, Draco thought silently to himself. Then again, he really didn't care; it was a Weasley for gods sakes. He was a Malfoy and thus above any low-classed pureblood like the Weasley's, who were a disgrace to their class. He sneered at the other boy, "Glad you know your betters."

Ron twitched and glared angrily at the other boy, not daring to do anything since Vince and Greg were flanking Draco's side and a rather vicious looking wolf was currently lying across the boy's feet. He sniffed disdainfully, "You wish."

A pathetic comeback really, but all Draco wanted right now was for the other boy to go away. And he was saved by two other Weasley's barreling through and dragging their brother off, ignoring them all, and cackling to each other about experiments… really, he didn't want to know. 

"That… was a bit strange."

Trust Greg to state the obvious, but Draco couldn't help but chuckle a bit, nestle down in his seat and close his eyes. "Yes, whatever, wake me when we get to Hogwarts, will you?" He heard their murmured assents and slowly drifted off into sleep.

~

Harry was not having a good morning. First, his arm hurt like hell, second, Draco had seemed remarkably short with him, angry almost. Third, he was going to have to talk to Lucius, who was back already, about what happened last night, and he really did not want to disappoint the other man again. It was probably a good thing that Lucius suspended the explanation until later since he had been greatly hurt and mad at the man for putting him through all of that and not caring…

But… he knew it was for a good cause, and it was for his training. At least he thought it was for his training anyway. He just… wished that he had a clue on what was happening, been prepared. Harry expelled a soft sigh, glancing down at Ayrin before looking up and staring at the study room's mahogany doors. "Damn…"

__

I thought shorter alpha didn't want you to say words like that anymore Ayrin wagged his tail once, trying to cheer up his bonded, his mind half forgetting the incidents that had happened. That was the strange thing about Astrali wolves, they remember and they forget random things, or they choose not to care. Their thinking wasn't like human's, similar, but not the same. 

Harry gave a wan grin towards the wolf, plucking up his courage as he opened the door and eyed Lucius who was sitting down in front of the fireplace. He peeked at the man who seemed to be doing nothing but staring off into space and drinking expensive wine, calling out uncertainly, "Lucius…?"

The man shifted slightly and slide his gray eyes towards him, Lucius frowning a bit as he gestured to the chair opposite of him, his voice cool, "Sit, Harry." He sloshed the contents in his glass a bit before taking a light sip, eyes contemplative and brooding as he thought to himself.

Ayrin padded towards the chair and lay down beside it, the wolf quiet. Harry followed and sat down gingerly, stroking the soft velvet absentmindedly, his emerald green eyes fixed upon Lucius. Before he had the chance to speak, Lucius spoke first.

"You know that I'm doing this for your own good? The Malfoys?" 

Harry sighed, "Yes." It was true, he was thinking about this last night as well. Lucius never did anything without a good reason behind it, his reasoning was absolutely perfect and convincing. He just wished… that sometimes he would know beforehand, that he would be able to do stuff that he wanted to do and not for the good of the Malfoys or himself.

"Do you really?" Lucius leaned forward, his eyes narrowed slightly at Harry, inquisitive, searching.

The boy blanched slightly, before answering back smoothly, trying to stay confidant, "We must defeat Voldemort for the injustice he dealt upon our family," he spoke the words as if it was something he spoke (or heard) every day, "and we will give him no mercy. That is why I am being trained, that is why Draco was sent off…" Harry's eyes darkened a bit when he spoke the last sentence before he gave his head a brief shake, continuing on, "I understand, I just… was a bit angry." He spoke in a subdued manner.

A faint sigh escaped Lucius' lips, "Understandable." He leaned back into his chair, eyeing the boy before him silently, "Very well then, I shall tell you what happened last night." A faint smile appeared on his face when he saw Harry seem to perk up with attention, "My boy, you did miserably." He saw the boy pout and chuckled softly, "Then again, you feel completely safe here, not expecting an attack, were you?"

"No."

He went on, "I am sorry, but that is unacceptable. You are going to be aware at all times, you are going to be wary at all times, and you are going to learn how to fight without the help of Ayrin." Lucius did not like the look of pure shock that Harry shot him. 

Harry blinked rapidly before stammering out, "But… why?" He shuddered to himself, thinking -rightly so- that he was now going to get ambushed every single day of his life. His hand automatically dropped to hide comfortingly in Ayrin's dark fur, half-hearing the low whine coming from the wolf.

"Because you will not be ready unless it is so."

The boy hung his head, looking down at his dark robes remorsefully, sighing softly to himself as he curled a leg under himself. Finally he peeked through his ebony hair at Lucius, asking softly, "What was that thing last night? That… creature that Ayrin killed?"

Lucius looked at the boy thoughtfully, finally saying, "It was a magical construct, not really alive, but able to mimic creature's movements perfectly. When you get better, I'll have the constructs be… 'upgraded' if you will, so that they surpass what skills of the creature they mimic, and go up to a higher level. That's so you'll never be lax, there will always be something just as good as you to learn off from."

"It wasn't real then…" Harry's voice sounded softly relieved.

"No, but perhaps one day I'll let loose 'real' creatures. Harry, you must get used to this, fighting and if need be, killing." Lucius paused before continuing on, "Constructs are now going to attack you when you least expect it. When you sleep, eat, shower, play… There is no time when they will never attack you, you must be alert at all times, hear me?"

"Yes, Lucius."

The man sighed a bit, "Narcissa and Severus are aware of what I'm doing, don't think of being lax just because you're with them." He saw Harry's nod and went on briskly, "And no magical healing for the wounds you obtain from these creatures."

Harry's head shot up, his eyes wide, "What?!" This was going to be even harder than he expected. Why can't he heal himself? What's the use of magic if you couldn't heal yourself automatically? 

Lucius smiled privately to himself, "It's partly for the lesson and partly to be prudent," at Harry's blank look he shook his head and went on, "You'll be less eager to do foolish things and you'll work harder at your skills if you feel the repercussions of what you have done. That is part of the reason why none of us is going to help you with your wounds." At the boy's slow nod, he continued lightly, "And besides, what if you cannot heal yourself -for whatever reason- after the battle? This'll condition you, toughen you up."

A sigh escaped Harry's mouth, apparently things were going to get worse for him. 

"A couple last things."

Harry's head jerked back up and he suppressed a groan. What else could there be? All he could think about right now were days filled with fending off strange creatures that want to kill him and Lucius (or 'cissa, or Sev for that matter) just standing off to the side and watching. 

The man gave a half smile at Harry's look, "Ayrin is not going to help you unless it's life threatening," he raised a hand to forestall the comment that Harry was going to make, "And you're gaining a new instructor."

…Again?! That's all Harry could think of as his mouth echoed the word, "Again?!" What else could they be teaching him? They were already teaching him about every subject (except for divination) that could be found in Hogwarts, what else could there be left to learn? 

Ayrin, sensing his bonded's incredulous state, raised his head higher and gave Harry a light lick on the cheek, _Tall alpha knows what he is doing, yes?_

Harry mumbled a soft 'traitor' towards Ayrin, bemoaning the fact that the wolf seemed to change its mind so quickly, so many times. Wasn't Ayrin furious over last night? Didn't the wolf want to rip out Lucius' throat the last time he checked? Why was he stuck with such a fickle bonded anyway? But he accepted the licks and gave the wolf a reluctant pat on the head.

Lucius gave a secret smile, "Yes, again. And you'll find out when the man gets here…"

~

"The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room. 

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rulebreaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours." McGonagall finished speaking. 

Draco stared around the castle with curious eyes, taking in the stone walls and floors, the tapestries and multitudes of paintings. He waited with Greg and Vince, finally pinning his gaze at a tattered and old looking hat on top of a three-legged stool. He remarked quietly, ignoring the gazes bestowed upon the group of first years, "Kind of ugly, isn't it?"

Vince and Greg gave soft chuckles in reply, about to answer him back when suddenly a tear was seen along the brim, opening and the hat actually _sang_ to them.

_"Oh you may not think me pretty,_   
_But don't judge on what you see,_   
_I'll eat myself if you can find_   
_A smarter hat than me._   
_You can keep your bowlers black,_   
_Your top hats sleek and tall,_   
_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_   
_And I can cap them all. _  
_There's nothing hidden in your head_   
_The Sorting Hat can't see,_   
_So try me on and I will tell you_   
_Where you ought to be._   
_You might belong in Gryffindor,_   
_Where dwell the brave at heart,_   
_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_   
_Set Gryffindors apart;_   
_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_   
_Where they are just and loyal,_   
_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_   
_And unfraid of toil;_   
_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_   
_If you've a ready mind,_   
_Where those of wit and learning,_   
_Will always find their kind;_   
_Or perhaps in Slytherin_   
_You'll make your real friends,_   
_Those cunning folks use any means_   
_To achieve their ends._   
_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_   
_And don't get in a flap!_   
_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_   
_For I'm a Thinking Cap!" _

No surprise flickered in Draco's silver eyes, like it had in others, he had heard about the sorting and how it was done from his father. But he watched with undisguised curiosity the way Professor McGonagall strode up and started calling out names, how each person walked up and put the Sorting Hat on top of their heads. He was almost fully confident that he would be put into Slytherin… every Malfoy (except the occasional Ravenclaw, but that wasn't really talked about) was put into that house.

Finally his name was called, "Draco Malfoy."

He ignored the knowing glances of some, the glares of others (mainly Ron Weasley) and walked up towards the Sorting Hat, sparing a brief glance at Greg and Vince (who had been sorted into Slytherin). Tyr padded faithfully at his heels, a ring of hushed whispers coming from the people.

Before Draco came, his father sent a note to Dumbledore explaining the situation with him and Tyr, Dumbledore allowing Draco to bring the wolf as long as he doesn't cause any harm upon the students. Granted, that didn't mean that anyone else knew that, and so everyone was watching the wolf move with scared eyes.

Draco calmly sat upon the stool, took the Sorting Hat and put it on, before it could even start to talk to him, he murmured softly, "Slytherin, as you know very well, is the house that I want… no _need_ to get in to." 

"Hmmm… Interesting, interesting, not giving me a choice, eh?"

A smirk tugged on Draco's lips, "Not really."

"Very well, but be forewarned that I wouldn't have put you in this house if I truly did believe that you didn't belong there. You shall be in… SLYTHERIN!" The hat crowed out the last part loudly so that everyone could hear it, taking a remarkably short time to sort Draco out.

Draco took off the hat and walked over to where Vince and Greg were saving him a seat, so sure they were that he would get into Slytherin. He saw his new housemates cheer and clap, though the other houses seemed to ignore him, or just continue to glare at him (Weasley again). 

After what seemed to be a long time (and a pleasant feast) Draco finally stumbled off into bed, feeling rather than seeing Tyr climb up after him. He draped a lazy arm around the wolf's shoulders as he sent out his mind to contact Harry's.

And hit what seemed to be a mental brick wall.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

By the gods… this was a long chapter ^^; Well, for me anyway. *shrugs* Hope you guys liked it… I really, really dislike the first part and the last part *twitch* But the middle parts are okay! *sheepish grin* Yeah, I'd say only read the middle parts, but that would be stupid and you would be missing stuff -.-; Ah well…

Hey, at least this chapter didn't take an entire month to write! *gives her most winning smile* Especially since I've written another chapter for a different fic in the mean time. I feel all proud of myself. Anyway, Lucius is still seeming like an ass *twitch* and I need to use Narcissa more. -.-; Right, next chapter is more Narcissa, and a better seeming Lucius! *cackles*

Now see what you guys keep thinking? You guys thought that I was going to have Draco and Harry meet up in Hogwarts didn't you? *evil, devious look* Well you're wrong! HA! *cackles insanely* They'll meet up in Hogwarts sooner or later, don't worry about it. *giggles* 

****

Important: Harry with glasses or Harry without? I can't seem to make up my mind… Yeah, kinda late to be thinking about this, but whatever *shrugs*   
  
~   
  
My e-mail address is flyby311@hotmail.com and put Single Choice or fanfic or Harry Potter or something similar to that, so I know what the e-mail is about. Anything you want to add/criticize/comment/whatever you guys just review it… please? 


	11. Periwinkle Gaze

A Single Choice   
Chapter Eleven- Periwinkle Gaze  
By- IceWind

  
**A/N:**   
**Disclaimer**: Harry Potter and everything in its franchise is owned by J.K Rowling and whoever else has rights to the books. I have no claim whatsoever to the characters; the plot is entirely mine though, as is any new characters that I might introduce into the story. Rating is PG-13; though it may turn to R later.   
  
**Warnings**: Probably slash in later chapters… which for those who do not know what that means, it means boy/boy, yaoi, shounen-ai, or homosexuals if you want to get technical. It's AU (alternate universe) Definitely AU; nobody could mistake it for anything else. I accept constructive criticism, and flames are fine as well just as long as you don't care if I write a reply, most probably sarcastic, unless you actually had a good reason… though that would probably go under the constructive criticism column and I wouldn't do anything but thank you. ^_^   
  
Took a bit longer than I hoped for… And I'm sorry if I seem greedy, but is it just me or am I getting less reviews? *sweatdrop* Could you people please, please review? I thrive on reviews. ^^; 

****

Jalee: *laughs* Do you really think that the sorting hat would be nasty? Personally, I think of it as a neutral... like how I pictured Ollivander. 

****

Frizzy: *evil grin* You haven't found out yet… and you won't until much later on about how Draco was cut off from Harry. *innocent look* Guess you'll just have to stick around to find out XD And you get a glimpse at some information about the new teacher ^_^

****

Rebuky: hehe, not really important, but it is sorta… (does that make sense?) Because I like describing things, and the descriptions would have included glasses if I had put some in. I like to cover everything.

****

Coconut-ice agent h/h: *sweatdrop* I can do that because the plot demands it *grins sheepishly* Sure, I guess this chapter is nicer… for Harry at least. ^^;

****

E: *winks* Think you're going to find out why the link is blocked so soon? Nah… like torturing people. ^^; And about that… I have what house I want Harry to be firmly in my mind. *evil, evil grin* For the plot and all that… that's going to be important. ^^

****

Xirleb70/fanny chan/fireangle/shakiya/rayvern/Jordan/eavening/smallfry: Thanks for reviewing!

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maybe a house elf accidentally left one of those cannabis leaves in the drinks?

That may be the reason why Lucius looks so pleased with himself, Harry mused silently, absentmindedly petting Ayrin's fur. As he carefully watched the man approach him. Not that he didn't like a happy Lucius, a happy Lucius generally equates easier lessons… or at least ones that don't involve decapitating something. Though perhaps he was being a tad melodramatic.

Harry gave himself a shrug.

  
Lucius approached with quick steps, robes flowing smoothly behind him, gray eyes holding something akin to amusement. "Harry, shall we take a walk?" He gestured almost absentmindedly towards the gardens, eyeing the towering flora with a patient smile. 

With those words, Harry stood up from the stone steps he was currently sitting on, pondering lightly to himself the reason why Lucius seemed so pleased. It wasn't 'cissa's birthday… his lips twitched slightly. Actually Lucius had forgotten 'cissa's birthday last time and the woman had gotten a bit peeved at Lucius… if you took in the way that a tea kettle magically appeared out of nowhere and chucked itself at the man's head as only a 'bit peeved'. 

It had taken Lucius a long time to make that one up to 'cissa, yes it did. The man nearly had to beg to get her to talk to him again, the fact that Malfoys did not beg was probably the only thing that stopped him from doing so. It had been rather amusing… though it was not fun being around Lucius when 'cissa was mad at him, dangerous in fact.

Like him having to go out deep into the woods, while Lucius sadistically set a large creature upon him. For all of his troubles he received a rather nasty gash on the leg and he had more bruises than he could possibly count… which was why he started to advocate Lucius' apology to 'cissa. 

Some things were better left untouched.

__

What does tall alpha want? He is hiding something? The sleek black wolf padded next to Harry smoothly, the large head, holding intelligent eyes, turning towards the boy. Ayrin flicked one ear towards Harry and the other towards Lucius.

Harry just shrugged again in reply, keeping his own eyes on Lucius' midnight blue robes, lithely weaving through the hedges. Well, he may as well ask the man. Clearing his throat, he spoke, "Did you want to ask me something?" …Or maybe this was another training thing… perhaps he was going to get ambushed here? His hand hovered above his wand, feeling it resonate to him as he glanced around with wary emerald green eyes.

Lucius just gave him a patient smile, the beginnings of a smirk quirking on his lips, as he spoke lightly, "Do you think I will set something upon you when you expect it? Nay, Harry, you should know better than that. I prefer to have you unawares."

Harry cocked a brow at Lucius, a reluctant smile forming on the boy's lips when he heard Lucius begin to chuckle. Yes, he liked the older man much better this way, in good spirits, even laughing… With the impending threat of Voldemort returning, Lucius had been becoming more and more tense. Understandable really, especially one heard rumors (very scant, dug up rather ferociously by Lucius) about the Dark Lord. 

He sighed softly, passing a hand through his dark hair, lazily twisting a piece of it around in his hand as he peered through some hedges and towards a large water fountain, gushing pure, unsullied water in graceful arcs through the air. 

He mused to himself silently. Really though, Lucius always had a feeling that Voldemort would return, that's why the man was training him. Harry shook his head lightly and his hand dropped down as he moved his way towards the water and splashed some onto his face, feeling the cold liquid brighten him up, making him more aware. The clear droplets splashed around as he shook his head, much like Ayrin did when he was wet. 

Bright emerald green eyes peered through the slightly damp hair towards Lucius, who was smiling at him indulgently, deciding privately to himself that a Lucius this cheery was rather frightening really… but welcome. Harry gave a sweet smile back at the man, humming as his hand dipped into the cool water and with a flick of his wrist, splashed some on Ayrin.

He gave a soft laugh when the black wolf gave him an impudent glare, tail held stiffly up. Ayrin chattered inside his mind, complaining how cold and _wet_ the water was. As if water could be any different… well, it could be warm, but when ever was it not wet?

Finally Lucius broke the peaceful silence that drifted over them all, the cheery halcyon feeling still holding over them, if a bit thinner now. "We're having a guest today." He smirked in amusement when he saw Harry whirl around to stare at him, eyes wide.

It was understandable that he was so shocked at such a suggestion. They were in the real Malfoy manor… Harry shook such silly thoughts away from his mind, deciding that such thoughts were stupid, Lucius probably meant the other manor, or a summerhouse. Though why tell him these things were a bit puzzling, Harry couldn't be seen by other people and wasn't much of a sociable person anyway… Deciding to voice his thoughts, he spoke up, "In the other house?"

Shock returned full force to those expressive emerald eyes when he saw Lucius shake his head; a small satisfied smile etched on the man's face. Curiosity flickered within Harry, as well a territorial feeling over the Malfoy Manor. It was _his_ place… well; the place that he was living at and he never had to share it before… Disregarding such silly thoughts, he gave Lucius a wary look as he voiced simply, "Who? How?"

Lucius arched a brow at Harry, his hand stretching out as he lightly patted Ayrin's head, the wolf pressing up against the man's leg, growling in soft contentment. A faint smirk graced his lips, as if he had a secret that he was about to tell -as he evidently was- but held off a bit longer, speaking in a teasing voice, "No confidence that I can get past the wards?"

Harry blinked in vague surprise, before answering with a smile, a light chuckle falling from his lips, light and airy. "Of course I have confidence in you Lucius… does 'cissa know?" Now suspicion flickered into his voice. Reasonable suspicion, he mused to himself, 'cissa would skewer him with a unicorn horn if he didn't inform her first.

The man refrained from rolling his eyes, it was not something a Malfoy would do, and spoke patiently, "Of course, Harry, I am not suicidal, no matter what you may think." A furtive glance around ensured that his beloved wife wasn't in hearing distance and he relaxed minutely, unaware that he had been slightly tense when he spoke before.

Faint glimmers of excitement lit up Harry's eyes and he nearly pounced on the man to get the answers he wanted, "Who?" He was dimly aware of Ayrin prancing at their sides, the wolf catching onto the infectious excitement in the air. Again, Harry voiced the latter of his question from before, "How, Lucius? I thought the manor wouldn't permit it!"

Lucius drawled out lightly, calmly detaching the hands clenched to his robes, "It took some persuasion towards the manor for it to allow some slight changes in its wards…" He watched the play of surprise flicker over Harry's face and went on in a vaguely irritated voice, "You know very well that the manor is close to being sentient, if not actually sentient."

Harry finally gave a slight nod, calming himself down with several deep breaths before flashing Lucius a bright smile. He did know that about the manor, always felt it in the back of his head, a soothing presence, occasionally amused if he stumbled onto some mishap or anything of the like. He could have sworn it had helped him a few times as well, diverting an irate Lucius (such as that incident with the house elf, food dye, and Lucius' cane…) from his hiding spot. A fond smile appeared on his face, before it was wiped away and he scowled horribly at Lucius, "You're diverting the subject!"

"Took you long enough to catch on," Lucius muttered softly to himself. He shook his head lightly, laying a hand on top of Harry's wild locks, giving a pat absentmindedly as if he were Ayrin. A look of amusement flickered onto his face when he realized what he was doing and he retracted his hand, smirking at the vaguely annoyed look Harry gave him. He spoke on blithely, "As to how I did the rest of it, after gaining the manor's permission, it was quite simple. A slight jaunt to the library," his eyes narrowed, conveying that he thought that Harry should be in there more often, "and a quick search, I stumbled on an obscure tomb which had some of the spells I needed… granted, I modified them somewhat to what I wanted to do."

Lucius looked pleased with himself, as he should be, almost amused at his own cleverness. That is, until a sweet voice was heard, tinged slightly with sarcastic.

"With my help, but Lucius hardly needed it of course."

Narcissa moved elegantly into the small clearing, sitting carefully away from the fountain on a stone bench, taking pains to make sure that none of the drops of water would fall onto her expensive clothes. She gave a fond smile towards Harry, and a slightly chill one towards Lucius… apparently the man did something she didn't like, _again_.

Harry stifled a smile towards Lucius' predicament, watching the man grimace slightly out of the corner of his eye. Lucius probably deserved it anyway, he thought idly to himself, watching Lucius and 'cissa banter lightly to each other. Finally, curiosity getting to much for him, he yelped out in the middle of Lucius' tirade, "Who is it??? And how do the new wards work?" Sudden worry crept up in his voice; "Will anyone else be able to get in?"

A faint snort was heard from Lucius, the man giving a slight glare towards the boy as he sniffed out, "As if I would have any flaws in something I planned myself, really Harry, what are you thinking?" He paused then, saying thoughtfully, "Though perhaps you weren't, wouldn't be the first time."

As Harry started to glower at Lucius, he noticed 'cissa gave them both a fond smile, she probably decided to forgive Lucius over whatever the man did last time. Reluctantly he tore his gaze from the man, turning to 'cissa because she probably would tell him more anyway, "Tell me, please?" He gave his puppy-dog look, it not having diminished the slightest over the years. 

Inwardly he shuddered at the thought. It probably would have lost some of its potency if he hadn't gotten his eyes fixed. He might have even worn… what were those things called? Those muggle things 'cissa told him about? He started to ignore what the adults were saying, musing over his lack of memory. Harry shifted slightly in irritation, hand reaching up to stroke his chin in contemplation for a moment. Not that the name was very important, being muggle things of course, but he did so hate it when he forgot things.

Oh! Glasses! A smug smile appeared on his face, elated that he got the answer. He almost had to get those… well, if he was a muggle of course. Inwardly he winced at _that_ particular thought, a life without magic… that would be terrible. Why he might be with some muggle family who hated him! With some fat muggles with caretakers… He shook his head slightly at the silliness of the thoughts, looking up briefly from his contemplation to meet two pairs of eyes looking at him with amusement. 

Harry flushed.

Narcissa spoke mildly, her light blue eyes dancing with hidden mirth, her voice distinct as she spoke, "Back from your contemplation, Harry?" At his sheepish smile and nod, she decided to repeat her words from before, since he didn't appear to hear them. "As I was saying… The wards around the house were changed slightly to allow this person in without any fuss form the manor… providing that the manor doesn't take an instant dislike to him, of course. We can't do anything about that."

She shared a brief, pensive glance with Lucius before continuing on, "Anyway, the man will be staying with us, he's not leaving the manor at all." At the boy's shocked look, she gave a small grin, "Security reasons you know, Harry, we don't want any loose strings, no matter how trustworthy I think he is." Narcissa heard Lucius' soft snort and gave him an annoyed glance, "Of course, Lucius doesn't think that the man is trustworthy at all."

Inquisitiveness appeared in Harry's eyes. 'cissa and Lucius were disagreeing about this… interesting. He voiced his faint confusion over the matter, forehead slightly wrinkled in thought as his hands dug into Ayrin's soft fur, "Why not? If you don't trust him, why let him in at all?"

Narcissa didn't have any qualms with rolling her eyes as Lucius did, "Because the person coming over is a muggle." She continued on frankly, ignoring Harry's flabbergasted look for now, "Really, I don't like them any more than the next pure-blood wizard, but this is getting a trifle ridiculous, it isn't as if we're expecting the man to teach Harry magic!" Her last words were shot towards Lucius who merely looked bored, evidently hearing this all before.

Harry tried to work his mouth, but couldn't, eyes impossibly wide as he thought over this new revelation. A muggle of all things? An honest to goodness muggle! On the Malfoy Manor grounds! The mere concept boggled the mind, no matter Lucius was so adverse to it. His green gaze darted to the man, asking tentatively, "'cissa wanted him here to teach me what then?" 

The tall woman gave him an amused smile, her elegant hands reaching out and lightly ruffling his hair, ignoring the way the boy ducked out from under her. "It wasn't me who wanted the muggle here, and never let Lucius make you think that. He was the one that wanted the muggle to teach you, no matter how adverse he is to the mere idea."

A sudden stillness fell onto Harry and he turned incomprehensible eyes to the smirking Lucius, finally stammering out, "Lucius?" He tilted his head then, ignorant of the fact that Ayrin -bored with them because they were ignoring him- had done so as well. It was apparently an amusing sight to Narcissa who had to choke back laughter.

Lucius gave a tight, superior smile, "I may happen to dislike muggles, but at least this way we could constrain him, perhaps perform a memory charm if need be and have no one missing him. Besides, I heard that he was one of the best, if a bit of a recluse." 

Suspicion entered Harry's eyes as he asked lightly, "Why is he a recluse if he's so good?" He gave Lucius an uncertain smile, "Sounds a bit suspicious to me." And he still did not know what teacher they got for him, what subject… it was driving him mad! Especially since the man was a _muggle_ of all things! An event like this doesn't happen everyday.

A satisfied grin appeared on Lucius' face, making Harry momentarily confused before the man cleared that up with his succinct words, "Very good, Harry. You're thinking." At those words, Harry beamed, but Lucius continued on, "The man involved is a bit… shady, if you will. He prefers to stay underground. It took months of intensive scrutiny to actually dig him up… be better be as good as muggles claim." Lucius gave a slight sneer at the thought before adding on casually, "he's reputed to have killed several people, the reason why he's in hiding, quaint isn't it?" 

A faint look of horror appeared on Harry's face.

Spotting this, Lucius gave a smirk, "Don't tell me that you're shy of killing, I'll have you know that you've killed several _real_ creatures these past two weeks." Suddenly he frowned and glanced down at his arm, the one that contained the dark mark and he muttered to himself, "Much different from humans…"

Narcissa broke in, laying a hand on Lucius' arm gently, giving him a faint smile before she spoke to Harry, "When we spoke to him, he seemed to be as honorable as his profession allows him to be. Don't worry, the manor won't let him escape the grounds as soon as he steps on." She added in in an absent sort of tone, "and he'll be stopped if he tries to kill us. A stupid muggle who would try that, but I don't think that'll happen, he doesn't seem as stupid as most muggles."

Harry finally gave a short nod, hands curling in Ayrin's fur, mouth slightly dry as he asked, "And what'll I be learning?" He dreaded this answer, slightly anyway, who knows what one of them will say. Then again… he did like Severus a lot, a really good teacher, but _he_ was the one to stumble upon the man, not Lucius and Narcissa. 

"Fighting."

Bright eyes blinked several times at Lucius, Harry finally asking, "Aren't I already learning that?" A sinking feeling made itself known within him, and he squirmed slightly under both adults' scrutiny. 

Narcissa explained in a patient voice, "You know how to fight magically… but what about physically? We want to prepare you for everything Harry." Her mouth suddenly down turned a bit into a faint frown; a bit of sadness in her face before it disappeared as if it was never there in the first place.

Harry shied away then, emerald eyes wide. Fighting? Physically? As in hand to hand? He had never had to do anything like that ever! He cast a frantic look towards Ayrin, the black wolf cocking his head to the side and giving him a puzzled look. Harry scowled at the confused animal, knowing very well that the wolf would want him to learn how to fight physically.

__

Yes!

…Really, he should remember that Ayrin could read his mind like an open-book. Harry tossed a faint scowl towards the wolf, glancing around furtively before deciding to himself that he probably couldn't run away… Deciding to wait and see what happens before making any decisions, he sighed softly, asking lightly, "When is he coming over?"

Lucius replied, just as lightly, "In about ten minutes." He smirked a bit when a horrified look appeared in Harry's eyes before continuing on, "I hope you get ready quickly, Harry, I do know that the man hates for anyone to be late." The man turned slightly, gray eyes fixed on his wife as a slight smile crossed his face, "Come, love, we'll greet the man while Harry gets ready." He cast an eye towards the boy's slightly dirtied clothes, "I'm not sure if I prefer him to stay in those robes or not."

"He'll probably become dirty later on anyway," Narcissa's voice was light, slightly amused. Her pale blue eyes flickered onto Harry before she spoke again, "But you should wash up. Before and after the lessons. I will not tolerate dirty people inside my household without a good reason."

Life has once again gotten interesting, Harry thought silently to himself, squirming a little bit in impatience before Lucius quietly flicked a hand at him, a clear dismissal. With that, he started to run back towards the manor, wondering furiously what was going to happen next.

~

Draco was brooding. There was no other way to put it, Tyr decided, the ivory wolf tilting his head slightly to the side. He whined lowly before sidling up to his bonded, curiosity flickering in his pale eyes as he stared adoringly at Draco. 

The boy had been down the last two weeks. The lupine nudged his bonded's hand with his cold, slightly wet nose, ignoring the looks the other people were giving them. He didn't care about them, they weren't pack, and thus, they were unimportant. He wagged his tail several times in hopes that Draco would start paying attention to him and break out of the mood that he was currently in… to no avail.

Tyr whined lowly in his throat, casting worried looks at the boy. His boy, his bonded, part of his pack. Usually he was hyper active, but lately the brooding that his human had placed him into was worrying him… and worry usually never was an emotion he felt. Soft ears flattened against his smooth cranium, tail tucking lower when he saw no response.

He honored his bonded's request for not snooping in his head for the time being… this time. But Tyr dearly wished to know what was going on through Draco's head… perhaps it had something to do with his brother's bonded? Or the new location they were in? He didn't care about the new location, as long as he was with Draco, he was happy. 

But Draco felt differently.

People here were different; Tyr mused to himself, uncharacteristically serious. The white wolf, seeing as he wasn't getting anywhere with his brooding companion who was currently alternating between studying and staring out the window, lowered his haunches to the floor, his head resting on Draco's leg. Much different, he decided. 

For they seemed a bit like packs, only a lot broader, and not as loyal.

He could tell, he may be a bit absentminded, but he wasn't stupid. He noticed things like this because his bonded noticed it… and he may need the knowledge later if one of the opposing packs try to attack his bonded. If they do, then he wages war against them all, one does not rebel against the pack, they act with their decision. It was important to know who was in whose pack.

Tyr woofed out softly, giving a happy growl (which scared a few people sitting nearby) as Draco's fingers scratched behind his ear. He gave a soft whine in disappointment when those fingers left his head, but mentally shrugged. Wouldn't do to get Draco even more upset. Those thoughts in mind -which were rapidly disappearing as well- he turned his attention back to his thoughts.

The different packs. There seemed to be four… but then there were loners drifting around the sides. But the strange part was that those loners seemed to hold more power than the entirety of the pack. It was strange… really strange. Then again, he was used to strange things from the moment he met his bonded. He could get used to it. 

Pale blue eyes flickered around the large common room, Tyr idly studying one human before moving on. This was the main den for the Slytherin pack, no matter what his bonded may say, they were all packs. He amused himself with a new favorite pastime, curling up his muzzle slightly so that glints of light shone off of it. Then he gave the softest of snarls towards a nearby human… who had immediately squeaked in fright and scampered farther off.

Fun, the humans here were fun. They seemed afraid… he had wanted to chase a couple before, but his bonded wouldn't let him. Tyr dropped completely onto the floor, curling his forelegs under him. He loved his bonded, really he did, but he couldn't help but miss his brother… and his brother's bonded. Harry was lots of fun to play with, part of the pack! But he wasn't here right now… he hasn't seen him in so long.

The worst part was that he couldn't talk to his brother.

He hadn't been able to contact Ayrin in so long… two weeks in human time, something like that, he didn't really care for the concept. All Tyr knew was that he wanted to talk to Ayrin and Harry, but he couldn't for some reason. Every time he tried, he hit a large mental wall… oh! Maybe that's why his bonded is unhappy1 They were cut off from the rest of the pack! 

Tyr's thoughts -as scary as that might sound to Draco- were abruptly cut off when the painting thing opened and a man strode in with slightly greasy hair and coolly intelligent obsidian eyes. Severus! The white wolf bounded up to his paws and whined a greeting to the man, his tail wagging as he ignored Draco's slightly annoyed glare. 

Thinking was hard; he'll do it after he ate… unless he fell asleep.

~

Severus grumbled softly to himself as he stared at the gargoyle in front of Dumbledore's office, wondering idly to himself what the old man wanted with him. Not that he didn't like Dumbledore… just the man was so manipulative that he could say a couple of words and Severus would be telling him all of his secrets. He was just thankful that Dumbledore was on the side of the light, who knew what havoc the old man could bring if he was on the side of the dark.

"Chocolate frogs," he muttered under his breath, idly watching the way the gargoyle sprung out of his way and stairs appeared. As he walked up them, he wondered what Dumbledore could possibly want with him right now… just a few minutes ago he had settled in his rooms after talking to some of the new Slytherins and the summons came.

Being the dutiful (he refused to grimace) teacher/spy that he was, he obeyed the summons immediately. He eyed the top of the stairs pensively, every time he spoke with Dumbledore, more came out of his mouth that he was originally going to tell the man. That would not do, that cannot do. He had obligations and duties, yes, but he also had a sense of timing and he knew perfectly well that he shouldn't mention Harry to the Headmaster.

Actually, he was surprised he managed to keep the black-haired boy a secret this long. 

But if Dumbledore knew about Harry… Severus repressed a shudder. He'd use the boy just like Lucius was doing now, but instead he would feed the boy tales of honor and glory for the light. The boy would become reckless, like a bloody Gryffindor, and the possibility of dying would be great. It was feeling he had, a feeling he would stick by for as long as he was able.

Yes, he was part of the light, honor-bound now to Dumbledore. But that didn't mean that he _always_ jumped when the bloody man commanded him to. He respected Dumbledore, respected and acknowledged his decisions, but sometimes… Sometimes he could have sworn that Dumbledore had been in Slytherin when he had been in Hogwarts. Where else would a person so cunning and manipulative end up?

Dark and light… really there wasn't that much different between the two, no matter how many people may protest and argue about it. They were powers; they were different sides to a spectrum, yet one couldn't be without the other, always. Severus sighed and shook his head, all the really matters, he mused, was how you use that power.

"Severus! Welcome! Lemon drop?"

Severus blinked and was startled out of his deep thoughts, staring into the twinkling blue eyes of the headmaster with a faint flicker of trepidation passing through him. He eyed the yellow, round piece of candy being offered with an expression of distaste, really, when will Dumbledore ever learn? But he shook his head, replying politely, "No thanks, Headmaster."

"Albus, you know well enough to call me by my name, my boy." The old man with a long grayish beard smiled slightly at the younger man in front of him, gesturing to a chair, "Have a seat."

"Of course… Albus." Severus lowered himself gingerly into the chair, eyes catching hold of a flash of red and gold. His head turned slightly to meet the steady gaze of the phoenix, Faux, and he inclined his head slightly to the creature in turn before returning his attention back to the old man. "What did you need to see me about?" He felt his familiar cold mask settle down upon him, and he sneered slightly, "Please don't tell me that one of the brats has gotten themselves bashed by the whomping willow _again_, and needs one of my pain numbing potions."

Suddenly a dark, gleeful smile flickered briefly on his face, "Actually, I wouldn't mind if that happened." He was joking really, slightly anyway, Albus would know that. Severus eyed the Headmaster suspiciously, wondering to himself what the man wanted this time. He got his answer soon enough.

Albus gave one of his famous, fatherly smiles towards Severus, voice cheerful as he spoke, "No, none need any potions after that… incident, but how are your Slytherins, Severus? None of them giving you any trouble I hope?" His light gaze sharpened slightly as he spoke, but other than that, no other changes came over him.

A cautious expression flickered through Severus' eyes, but he managed a tight smile for Albus, replying just as lightly, if not cheerfully, "Of course not, none of them dare to do so."

The headmaster leaned back in his chair, shifting to get comfortable before continuing to talk, "Are you sure?" At Severus' nod, he went on, "Not even young Draco Malfoy? I see that you've taken quite a bit of interest in the boy, Severus. Not that it's a bad thing of course, just a trifle strange. Who knows what Lucius may think."

Severus' heart beat slightly faster, but he maintained his outer appearance perfectly. He had lots of practice from when he had been a Death Eater. About Draco though… he had noticed a change in the boy's behavior and had become a bit worried. Silently he cursed himself for having such thoughts, but one had to get a bit fond of a student after teaching them for years. Well, a student that was eager to learn anyway. …A student that was actually capable doing something, which crossed off about all of the students currently attending Hogwarts.

Draco though… he was quieter than usual, a bit more nasty when those god-awful Gryffindors provoked him. The boy had the temper to match his father's when enraged; the only difference was that he had a nice, large wolf to try to rip out his enemy's throats as well. Quite handy Tyr had been in breaking up scores of fights. But who knows what kind of tales those Gryffindors were making about the wolf and his owner. Severus' lips curled slightly and he glared hard over Dumbledore's shoulder. Stupid, stupid Gryffindors, always hated them…

"-everus!"

Jerking back into his thoughts, he blinked as he stared at the faintly amused eyes of the headmaster. "Erm…" He stammered a bit before quickly pulling back his composure. Getting protective about Draco or Harry tended to make him a bit… crazed. He cleared his throat, "Right, about Draco…" What to say, he mused to himself silently. Deciding upon his word selection, he went on, "I see no trouble coming from him, Albus. Besides, Lucius wouldn't care if I'm currying his son's favor, would he?"

Albus gave Severus a searching look before giving a tiny nod and a broad smile, "Probably not. Moving on then…" he waved a hand around airily, "I also thank you for taking part in protecting the philosopher's stone, Severus. Clever little riddle you placed there…"

Severus smiled grimly. The philosopher's stone… something he must protect at all costs. Who knew what could happen with Voldemort, as he surely was, after it? Especially after he had heard about the break in at Gringott's… it would have been disastrous if Hagrid didn't take the stone out when he did. He gave a quick nod at the Headmaster's words, voice dry as he spoke, "Sometimes one needs more than just brute magical power."

"Of course."

The black-haired man raised his brow up slightly, "Is that all, Albus?"

Albus seemed about to say something… but then his mouth closed with nearly an audible snap. Severus looked at him curiously, but refrained from asking, sometimes it was better not to ask when it concerned the Headmaster. 

Finally the old man spoke, a faint smile on his face, "You're not telling me something, aren't you, Severus?" 

Severus' eyes flew open wide and before he started yelling at Albus to tell him how in the world the old man had known, he shut his mouth, lips compressing into a thin line as he continued to just stare at the other man, not willing to give anything away. Perhaps the safety of Harry and Draco depended on it, but there was also the fact that he could not betray the boys and Lucius… if Lucius ever found out…

Albus shook his head slowly, his smile lingering on his face before he said in a gentle voice, "You don't have to tell me, not yet. I trust you, Severus, in that you're making the best decisions. Just be careful, who know what the Malfoys can do."

This time, Severus' eyes stayed cold, giving a curt nod. If Albus knew more than that, the man would have told him, he mused to himself, keeping a steady gaze at the Headmaster. All Albus seemed to know that the Malfoys were included in this little plot of his… and still, that is too much. Finally he got his mouth to work, asking in what he hoped was a smooth voice, "You can't tell anyone, Albus." Inwardly he grimaced, the wording seemed a bit more desperate than he had wanted it to be.

"Of course."

Severus stood up, a faint frown tugging on his lips as he muttered quietly, "Thank you." If he stayed here longer he'll probably tell Albus everything… because of this, Severus looked longingly towards the door before looking back at the old man; "The meeting is done now, isn't it?"

Albus gave him a searching look, before nodding slowly, waving his arm in the air lightly, "Of course, have a nice day, Severus."

With those words, Severus left the room quickly, Albus' gaze lingering on his back, light periwinkle gaze contemplative.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Is it just me, or are the chapters just getting longer and longer? *sweatdrop* Consequently, the duration of time between each chapter seems to become longer as well. --; Truthfully, this chapter was going to be much longer than it is right now (shite lol) but I've decided to split it up into two pieces… in which this is the first half. But since it's long enough, it'll count for one chapter instead of a half. 

Sorry this chapter took so long, but between the length and the planning, I have too much damn schoolwork. Seriously, I do. You all should have seen how crazy I've been these past couple of weeks, and with finals approaching… *grimaces* Never fear though! I will continue writing this fic no matter what! ^^; 

Hey, has anyone noticed that Lucius is nicer in this chapter? *beams* I felt like I was making him too far off from what I wanted him to act. Yes, he's an ass, but he's a protective ass that happens to love his family, which includes Harry. *humphs* 

Some of you may be wondering about the wards and why they were changed. Put bluntly, they were going to restrict some of what I was going to do later on (pre-planning! Whee!) and it'll be part of the plot. I'm not just going to plop it in there suddenly. The reason why Lucius didn't just change the wards for Harry was that Harry was going to stay at the manor for a hell of a long time and he needed to know of the boy's magical power… which has something to do with the wards *smirks* I'm not saying anything more. 

Oh and the next chapter may take even longer than this one did *twitch* I need to plan everything out, combined with my school work and the fact that I want to start up Torn Asunder again… Yes, that's right, I'm going to start working on my other HP fic again, soon enough anyway. So when I get that up, everyone should go review it, okay? *winks* But don't forget to review this one! 

Oh, and due to the resounding votes for Harry and no glasses, he won't have any. ^.~  
  
~   
  
My e-mail address is flyby311@hotmail.com and put Single Choice or fanfic or Harry Potter or something similar to that, so I know what the e-mail is about. Anything you want to add/criticize/comment/whatever you guys just review it… please? 


	12. Of Breakins and Murderers

A Single Choice   
Chapter Twelve- Of Break-ins and Murderers  
By- IceWind

  
**A/N:**   
**Disclaimer**: Harry Potter and everything in its franchise is owned by J.K Rowling and whoever else has rights to the books. I have no claim whatsoever to the characters; the plot is entirely mine though, as is any new characters that I might introduce into the story. Rating is PG-13; though it may turn to R later.   
  
**Warnings**: Probably slash in later chapters… which for those who do not know what that means, it means boy/boy, yaoi, shounen-ai, or homosexuals if you want to get technical. It's AU (alternate universe) Definitely AU; nobody could mistake it for anything else. I accept constructive criticism, and flames are fine as well just as long as you don't care if I write a reply, most probably sarcastic, unless you actually had a good reason… though that would probably go under the constructive criticism column and I wouldn't do anything but thank you. ^_^   
  
*sweatdrop* Late, extraordinarily late. .;; I know, I know, but you won't believe how unbelievably busy I've been… I'm rather surprised that I've managed to squeeze out this chapter in the scant amount of time I've had. Don't count on another chapter any time soon, I've other stuff to work on, as well as finals and the end of the school year rapidly approaching… and with that teacher cramming work down all of our (the students) throats. *falls over*

****

Jordan: *sheepish grin* Sorry, can't tell you… perhaps you'll figure it out? Some already have…

****

Jalee: *sweatdrop* Err… Draco's going to be depressed a bit longer *hides under table* 

****

E: …*sighs* I was actually hoping to address that little issue in this chapter, as you can see (well, if you read heh) I haven't, so I'm leaving that off till the next one. The mental blocks… *grins* You got it right… though which 'right' is for you to figure out :P

****

Youko Gingitsune: Hehe, you people assume too much. ^^; Yeah, I feel sorry for Draco as well --; But it'll allll get better in several *coughs*lots*coughs* of chapters! *falls over* You want slash, they want slash… they're 11 people! ^^; lmao, j/k. 

****

Frizzy: ^^; You find out a little on why Draco is brooding in this chapter, and well… yeah, answers to the rest later on. *feels mysterious*

****

Xamona: *large sweatdrop* Well… sure, I could send you an e-mail if you want ^^; I should do that for anyone who wants it… what a bother to keep track of though. Ah well, may as well ^^; No, absolutely not *falls over* No real life people at all! ^^;;; I just can't do that, and I don't want to detract from the plot (there _is_ one damnit!) as well. *blinks* Wow… lots of questions. Erm… he's probably going to be better than Draco if he's getting all this extra tutoring right? But he'll be lacking in other skills… You'll find out about that later. All I say for the rest is 'maybe' except for the Hogwarts thing… yes, I'll tell you that it's definite that Harry will go. 

****

FeltonZgurL: *laughs* The entire thing in one sitting? Heh, how complimentary. Different? Hopefully… same underlying theme though *sweatdrop* 

****

MJ: Lucius… is Lucius, that's all I have to say on that. ^^; I don't envision him as the epitome of evil, yet I don't see him as being all flowers and sunshine either (that… would just be creepy). Harry thinks of himself as a Malfoy, what people have to keep in mind is that this is the type of environment he grew up in, he knows of nothing else. And of Lucius knowing all of it… nope, Lucius definitely doesn't, besides, I don't think that he has the sheer magical power that Harry does. *claps* You got the reason why they can't talk to each other! …SHHH! Chamber of secrets? *sweatdrop* Still on Quirrell, dear… but don't worry, we'll get there soon enough, same goes for parseltongue *grins* This chapter isn't as long as the last one… but I've been busy, forgive me? ^.~

****

Shakiya/Fallen Dragon/Xirleb70: Thanks for your review ^_^

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry sighed softly to himself as he waited impatiently in front of the main doors of the manor, shifting his weight as he waited for Lucius to arrive with the muggle. That thought still turned over in his mind countless times… a _muggle _of all things! He could understand, vaguely, the reasoning behind it, but still, the idea it self was mind-boggling.

Then again, anything was possible.

Idly he looked around, waiting semi-impatiently for Lucius to arrive with the man… what was his name? Carefully he backtracked the information that Lucius has given him thus far and came to the conclusion, rather quickly, that he didn't know yet. Pity really, not that he would know anything more about the man since he didn't know much about muggles. 

But knowing his name would at least give him a feeling that he knew something, even if he couldn't use the information for anything concerning black mail… or any plans akin to that. Though perhaps he could… considering that Lucius had said that the man was on the run, but that was from muggle authorities, and such, is not something that he was concerned overly much with. 

Harry sighed and glanced down towards Ayrin who was peacefully lying at his side, head tilted slightly, listening to his thoughts most probably (and getting confused, sometimes the black wolf was prone to that since wolf minds don't work the same way as human minds do).

"What do you think about me getting this muggle trainer? And don't say something only because you think I want to hear it because you overheard it in my thoughts. Truthfully now, Ayrin." He spoke lightly to the wolf.

He liked speaking out loud to Ayrin more than the mind-to-mind way. At least it gave a sense of feeling that in some ways, his mind was not completely connected to the wolf. Harry decided that he would get worried if he somehow suddenly developed a taste for raw meat, that would be one sign that Ayrin was affecting him too much.

__

You're being silly, bonded. Our minds will not merge Ayrin's mind-voice was matter-o-fact, completely at ease with whatever situation that may befall them both, since he was almost never without Harry, _We are pack, we need different, but similar minds_

Harry gave his bonded an exasperated look, replying slowly, "That made no sense to me at all, Ayrin, explain it please." Idly he mused to himself over the fact that at times Ayrin seemed entirely too cryptic, yet at other times, he would make as much sense as… well… Draco's Tyr.

Carefully directing his mind away from that train of thought, promising himself that he'll think about Draco _later_, when he wasn't so busy, he looked expectantly towards Ayrin. Of course the wolf never failed to please.

__

To be pack, we need similar minds; above all, we must have the safety of the pack. That is very important, Ayrin's mind was more serious than usual, the dark blue eyes locked onto the emerald green of Harry's, _But we need different minds as well. Different minds bring different ideas to better the pack_

Shaking his head, Harry gave a light shrug, deciding impudently that Ayrin was overly obsessed with the concept of the 'pack'.

__

I am not! The pack is the most important thing!

The thought came swiftly, and the scandalized tone of it made Harry smile and chuckle lightly. Suddenly realizing that he had been diverted from his original question, he once again asked the wolf for his opinion, "Ayrin? About the muggle trainer?"

Without much more prompting, the wolf flicked his ears towards Harry and answered in a lazy sort of tone, almost drowsy really, _You need to learn how to fight without using the swirly colors. Though I do not know how well you will accomplish this with such weak senses and no claws… and teeth that are not very sharp_ A mental snigger accompanied this thought, making Harry role his eyes and silently urge the wolf on.

Ayrin curled his right foreleg under him, lowering his head so that it rested lightly on his leg, shifting his position comfortably. Throughout this all, Harry fidgeted and gave the wolf an annoyed look, knowing that Ayrin was making him deliberately wait.

Another mental snigger from the wolf, and Ayrin went on, _What if one day you cannot rely on your swirly powers? I will protect you as much as I can, but it is not nature of the pack for one to completely rely on another_

Harry gave Ayrin a startled look, never thinking of putting it in that light before, But, he mused, Ayrin was right. For all this time, he always thought that he was the one who was taking care of the wolf, while it was the other way around. Ayrin could always leave… and the wolf would be fine by himself, hunt for himself, perhaps even join his old pack -or even a new one- again. Harry? If Ayrin was right and his magic, the swirly colors, ever disappeared, then he was the one who was completely helpless. 

Ayrin may have his own powers, as weak as they were, but the wolf never relied of them… in fact, he didn't use them much at all, preferring physical prowess over magical.

At that thought, Harry smiled lovingly at the black wolf and ruffled the soft fur absentmindedly, muttering to himself, "What would I do without you?" He was rather startled when Ayrin answered.

__

You won't be without me, so put such silly human thoughts out of your mind. We are pack, never forget that Ayrin had such a serious look in his eyes as his mental words came that for a moment Harry was at a loss for what else he could say.

So instead he said nothing and just lightly hugged the warm beast, "Silly creature, when will you learn that I'm supposed to be the one wiser than you are and should be saying such things?"

__

When you are wiser than me, perhaps I'll let you have a turn

Harry giggled softly at the thought.

"Is it normal for the boy to be talking, and hugging, a wolf?"

Harry whirled around quickly, Ayrin shifting in his grasp and surging to his feet; wide green eyes staring at a man who didn't wear robes and Lucius who had an expression of disgust mingling with amusement on his face.

Disgust? Probably for the muggle who was standing next to him.

Ayrin gave a softly threatening growl, but held himself back stiffly, ears lowered and back with a warning in the way his teeth glinted in the sun.

A glint of metal flashed as the stranger suddenly leveled this… thing in the direction of the wolf and asked casually, "Tell me… can I shoot it?"

Confused as how that thing could shoot much of anything, Harry quickly waved Ayrin back and scolded the wolf, "And here you were telling me that it was a good thing to get taught how to fight physically! Why are you growling like that at the man?" He sneaked a quick glance at the stranger under his messy black hair, trying to covertly study the man.

Interesting looking clothes, he decided silently to himself, no wizarding robe, though he really didn't expect one. The man was wearing black pants of some sort of strong material, with what looked to be a tight shirt, not that he could see much of it under the long black coat he was wearing. 

Harry quit trying to look like he wasn't looking and openly stared. 

The stranger had a nice color hair, dark brown in color, with amber eyes that looked distinctly cold. Harry shivered slightly under the weighted look the man gave him, but impudently glared, "And you shouldn't be threatening to… to shoot my bonded!" He adopted what he hoped was the same sort of voice that Lucius used at times -never to Narcissa though- and raised his chin slightly.

"Again, he's talking as if the animal actually spoke back. Does it really speak back and I can't hear it because I'm only a… muggle? Or is the boy I'm supposed to teach delusional?"

Harry glowered and bit back with an indignant tone, "I am not delusional!" A soft sound of laughter startled him and he glanced towards Lucius who was laughing, _laughing,_ at him. "Lucius!" he pouted and gave the man a watery look, knowing exactly how to get him, "You're laughing at me! Tell the muggle I'm not delusional!" He turned an imperious gaze back towards the openly smirking man and gave a growl remarkably similar to Ayrin's, "What are you _wearing_ anyway?"

Dryly, Lucius cut in, all traces of mirth wiped from his face, "He's not delusional, muggle, and I'll leave you both for introductions. If you need to see your rooms, then Harry here will summon a house elf to show you the place where you're going to stay. I trust that you won't intrude much?"

The man gave Lucius a faint smirk, "Of course… just as long as you clear my name after all of this is done."

"Didn't I say that I would?" 

"I don't trust others much, so please excuse me if I'm a bit skeptical."

Lucius raised an eyebrow, "Yet you accept my explanation about wizards and the hidden facets of the world? You are a strange muggle indeed." He waved a hand lightly, "Just as long as you do your job well, I want the boy completely trained."

"Of course, I never fail a mission."

Harry watched with wide eyes the exchange between the muggle and Lucius. He would have been more amused except he was slightly horrified that he was being left with the muggle who had threatened to shoot (though he still did not know with what) Ayrin. 

Lucius gave the man a curt nod and spared Harry a short glance before he strode away, probably off to tell Narcissa that the muggle had arrived and for the house elves to see that the rooms were perfect. The man didn't like muggles, but he would be courteous in his own manor.

Seeing Lucius walk away, Harry turned back towards the man with wide, wide eyes, flinching slightly under the openly assessing look that the man before him had.

"I have my work cut out for me, don't I?"

~

"Hey, did you read this Draco?" 

Draco gave a disinterested glance towards the paper that Pansy held in her hands, still feeling a bit morose over the fact that Harry had apparently blocked him off. But by now, he was also getting a bit annoyed as well, wondering to himself what he had done to make the other boy so incensed with him that he would actually block the link.

"What is it, Pansy?"

She gave him an uneasy smile, but held up the Daily Prophet in which the following headline was emblazoned across the top.

****

GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST

Investigations continue into the break-in at

Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the 

work of Dark wizards or witches unknown.

Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing 

had been taken. The vault that was searched had in

fact been emptied the same day.

"But we're not telling you what was in there, so

keep your noses out if you know what's good

for you," said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this after-

noon

"Who has the gall to actually break into Gringotts?" She shook her head with a slightly amazed expression, "It's said that they keep _dragons_ down there to guard the more special vaults!"

Draco gave a shrug, momentarily diverted from his pondering about Harry, a thoughtful look on his face, "I'm not sure… It's interesting though, isn't it? I wonder what they took…" His silver eyes flicked away from the paper and rested on Tyr's form for a moment.

"I bet the item in the vault is important though," he mused more to himself than to anyone else.

~

"Err… so what are you wearing again?" Harry asked uneasily, his hand resting on Ayrin's ruff. The wolf still had not backed down completely and looked agitated, shifting his weight back and forth constantly in order to find the perfect balance at which he would spring at, if the need arose.

"Black trenchcoat, regular shirt and jeans… though perhaps they aren't so regular for a wizard?" The man still had that impertinent smirk on his face, calmly gazing around him as if nothing was worrying him. Though that couldn't be completely true since he still had that… thing… aimed at Ayrin.

__

He smells of blood. He reeks of it. Human blood…

Harry gave Ayrin a startled look, "Blood? What do you mean, he smells of blood?" Quietly his hand snuck towards his robe pocket where he kept his wand, feeling the soft warmth the stick of wood always gave off. Warily he looked towards the man who seemed to be unperturbed by the fact that Harry just asked the wolf why he smelled of blood.

__

…I do not like the smell…

"Didn't he tell you that I've killed before?" Quiet, the smirk now gone from his face, the man watched Harry calmly, "Tell your pet to calm down and I'll lower my gun as well. We wouldn't want any casualties on the first day, now do we?"

Harry gave a wild look towards the even tenser Ayrin, looking at the metal thing -the gun- with a bit of trepidation before he gently laid a hand on Ayrin's head, "Shh… Ayrin. Lucius hired him, didn't he? And you did want a teacher for me."

The black wolf gave a mental sigh into Harry's head and quieted; though not completely relaxed as he normally was. Ayrin butted his head lightly against Harry's head, muttering inside the boy's mind with a trace of the familiar impudence he always showed, _Hn, of course, what do I care for some humans? But he better not hurt you, bonded, then I would have to kill him_ The last was spoken quite seriously, Ayrin giving the man across from them a steady look.

The man, unaware of the conversation the duo was having between them, eyed the wolf warily still, but gave the slightest of shrugs when he saw the wolf calm down, sheathing his gun at his hip holster. "It listens to you, interesting."

Glancing up, Harry gave the man a puzzled, but interested look, "Of course, why wouldn't Ayrin listen to me? He is my bonded after all." He kept close to the black wolf, his fingers curling into the soft, warm, black fur. He wasn't completely sure what to make of the man, but gave him the benefit of the doubt… Lucius had hired him for some reason, so he could trust the man… a little bit at least.

"Wolves don't usually talk to people… not to mention that I can't hear it myself."

"Him, Ayrin is male." Harry corrected a bit absentmindedly, turning over in his mind the concept that the muggle didn't know that Ayrin could talk to him. Seeing as he should enlighten the muggle, he spoke in a slightly haughty tone, "And he's my bonded, he can only talk to me because of that." A bit of a lie really, since Ayrin could converse with other Astrali wolves, but Harry decided not to go further into that subject.

Shaking his head slightly, he pinned on the man a thoughtful look, "What's your name anyway? You're to teach me how to fight, right?"

"Hn," the man gave a soft grunt in affirmation, his gaze sweeping around the area before muttering coolly, "Toshi, that's what you can call me." 

"It's not your real name…" Being around Lucius, Narcissa, and Severus so much, Harry supposed that he had picked up some tricks to know when a person was being evasive. Seeing the man's face darken for a moment, he shook his head and started walking off towards the place where he played quidditch, "Never mind, it doesn't matter. Follow me… I'll show you where we're supposed to start." At least that was where he thought they were supposed to be… it was a large enough space to do anything that the man wanted, probably anyway.

A quick glance back affirmed that the man was following him at a slow pace, eyes always shifting as if he was afraid that someone was going to sneak up on him and clobber him over the head with a club.

__

Paranoid muggle, isn't he?

Harry snickered softly to himself, ignoring the frown that the man shot his way as he maneuvered himself towards the large field. 

~

Toshi sighed and shook his head lightly as he eyed the boy and the wolf warily. Why the hell did he take up this sort of job? He mused to himself lazily, keeping an eye out or anything that might be harmful. Oh, yeah, it was because he wanted to be a free man when he left, and for some reason he thought that this… wizard… could do it.

Wizard.

He couldn't really get his mind past that fact though more than one piece of evidence presented itself. He thought he was a sort of realist, but how could reality explain something as… chimerical as magic? 

He had thought that it would take something akin to magic, or a miracle, for anyone to find him and know about his past, he had sunk himself down and disappeared so completely that he was almost sure of it. But then this man came, this man with a blank stare and cool gray eyes, holding out a tantalizing proposition, but with drawbacks and a story so great, he at first couldn't believe it was anything but imaginary.

Apparently he was wrong.

Another piece of that evidence was the fact that there was an eleven year old kid in front of him playing around with a wolf as if it was nothing, claiming that the wolf talked into his head but not into anyone else's. That was just a bit creepy.

And if he was anyone except for who he was, then he'd probably be blithering about all of the strangeness right now and how _wrong_ this all was. 

He froze, and carefully retraced his thoughts, wondering when all of this became wrong for him. Wrong? Who was he to judge what was wrong or not with all of the deaths on his hands? Toshi gave a grim smile, noticing immediately the pensive look the boy gave him. 

At least his employer, Lucius, had given him as much background info on magic that he could… though he did manage to leave the boy out of the conversation many times, hence the not knowing of the pet wolf the boy had. Why? He wasn't exactly sure, and Toshi was also sure that the man would match his wits when it came to trying to obtain information.

Pity.

He knew when he was beat, at least temporarily, and gave a slight shrug, deciding to do his job since it was apparent that he had to do it, especially with the boy looking at him so seriously. Harry, he recalled, that's what Lucius had told him. Not smiling, instead he smirked, and spoke coolly, "Tell me, what do you know of physical fighting?" It seemed better to know what the boy knew first before trying anything.

"Leave it to Ayrin," the boy gave a light quip, grinning slightly. The black wolf, Ayrin, by his side seemed to puff up proudly.

Toshi refused to shake his head and groan. In other words, this meant that the boy knew absolutely _nothing_. Impatience flickering in the undertone of his voice, he snapped out, "Don't you know how to defend yourself at all? Ridiculous."

Confusion scrunched up the boy's face for a moment before it disappeared behind a stoic mask, Harry shifted a bit, his chin tilting up once again, "I've never had to need it. Magic and Ayrin was all I needed, but Lucius brought up good points today, so I'm going to have to learn physical fighting as well." Mild distaste colored the last part, but he hid it relatively well.

Though not well enough that Toshi didn't catch it. 

Apparently the man was going to have a lot more trouble in his hands than he originally thought… but it was too late to back out of the deal, he had seen what the wizard could do and personally he didn't want to end up as that cat had.

He wasn't entirely sure if his bullets would work on a man who could turn a cat into a stick and then break it as if he had not a care in the world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

*falls over* Whee! Done! What do you guys think of Toshi? He's Japanese… I guess lmao, but you should have noticed that from the name. Yes, I happen to put OC a lot of times in my fics… but they will _never_ take center stage *nods adamantly* I refuse to write a Mary-Sue or the male version of that (forgot what it's called) ^^; I've also decided that for this fic to limit the amount I would create and just try to use as many book characters as possible…

Anyway, it would be interesting to see everything from the viewpoint of a muggle, right? And I'm having Harry figure out how to use _guns_ instead of the customary weaponry (swords, knives, ect.) that people always seem to use. Why? Because how many muggles know how to use a sword well in this day and age? Heh, I'll fit it in if I can.

*twitch* I never knew that my version of the first book would take more than two chapters, damnit. *sighs* I'll really try to wrap everything in the first book up in the third chapter (yes, really). I'm kind of an impatient person and want what's supposed to happen (what's in my head) to happen, but don't worry, I won't needlessly rush. But don't you guys find all of this boring? I'd hate to bore my own readers.

Anyway, review please. ^_^

Oh, and if anyone leaves their e-mail address, I'll give you a chapter update if you like. 

  
~   
  
My e-mail address is flyby311@hotmail.com and put Single Choice or fanfic or Harry Potter or something similar to that, so I know what the e-mail is about. Anything you want to add/criticize/comment/whatever you guys just review it… please? 


	13. The Unexpected

A Single Choice   
Chapter Thirteen- The Unexpected  
By- IceWind

  
**A/N:**   
**Disclaimer**: Harry Potter and everything in its franchise is owned by J.K Rowling and whoever else has rights to the books. I have no claim whatsoever to the characters; the plot is entirely mine though, as is any new characters that I might introduce into the story. Rating is PG-13; though it may turn to R later.   
  
**Warnings**: Probably slash in later chapters… which for those who do not know what that means, it means boy/boy, yaoi, shounen-ai, or homosexuals if you want to get technical. It's AU (alternate universe) Definitely AU; nobody could mistake it for anything else. I accept constructive criticism, and flames are fine as well just as long as you don't care if I write a reply, most probably sarcastic, unless you actually had a good reason… though that would probably go under the constructive criticism column and I wouldn't do anything but thank you. ^_^   
  
*hums merrily* Long chapter, be happy!

****

Brittany: Yes, Harry will go to Hogwarts, later on though. ^^;

****

Das: Erm… not necessarily. First of all, nobody even knows that he's alive except for a handful of people, so how would you expect that there would be even a letter for him? ^^;; Among other things.

****

Xamona: *shrugs* No idea myself actually. ^^;; lol, break from questions! ^^ *sips lemonade*

****

Gia: *laughs* You'll find out *winks* But I can tell you that it'll be a combination of the two… 

****

Professor: *gently chides* You're assuming that Harry's the one that left Draco out. Lol, don't worry about the stone, it'll be okay… maybe… *evil grin*

****

Xirleb70/HPIceAngel/Jalee/ivy/gravity/Siri Kat_: _Thank you!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heavy gasps came from Harry's lips, but his eyes never strayed from Toshi's form. He crouched slightly, ignoring the strain of his muscles, quite used to disregarding pain because of his earlier training. His robes had been discarded a while ago, the man before him having to have claimed that they would restrict his movement. 

Ugh, it wasn't as if he wanted to do this in the first place. Harry tried to calm his breathing down, eyes narrowing at Toshi as he shifted his weight to the balls of his feet, ready to spring. He didn't really think that it was fair that Toshi was allowed to carry a stick and hit him with it, while he couldn't use any weapons but his bare hands.

Stupid muggles, Harry thought to himself crossly, he decided that he would dislike the lot of them if they turned out to be as sadistic as this man was. 

"Come on, boy!" Toshi looked completely calm, amber colored eyes holding a look of distinct boredom, which made Harry grit his teeth.

He refused to growl like Ayrin did though; he did have some semblance of pride left.

__

What's wrong with growling?

In that moment of distraction, Harry's eyes strayed from the man and towards the jet-black wolf that was sitting casually on the sidelines. He promptly spat out, "Hell!" when a stick not so lightly wacked his backside, making him sprawl onto the ground.

He peered up blearily towards the man who hovered impatiently over him and moaned out, "Leave me alone!" He gave a vague, slightly wild, wave of his arm to emphasize that fact and inwardly he wondered what the hell he did to this man to make Toshi act like this.

And they were only supposed to be assessing his abilities! Silently he fumed as Toshi prodded him with a stick, which _hurt_ since it was slightly pointy, and rolled onto his back, snarling out, "I thought we were just going to see what I can and cannot do! Sadistic bastard…" He trailed off and winced as the stick dug more firmly into him, this time onto his stomach.

"Stupid brat, that's what I'm doing!" Toshi seemed to give a sigh, muttering something under his breath about kids who didn't know a thing, before growling out in a louder voice, "And so far, you are dismal." 

"Of course I'm dismal!" Harry retorted as he carefully propped an arm under him and lifted himself into a sitting position, shooting a dark glare towards Ayrin who was currently chortling in his head. Traitorous wolf. Ayrin just sounded more amused and Harry gave up on the wolf, instead transferring his attention back to the annoyed looking man, "I have never done something like this before! How am I just supposed to attack you and be done with it?"

The man muttered some more under his breath, but his words were too faint for Harry to catch, although he did think that he heard Toshi mutter something about slugs. Slugs? Why slugs? He mused that to himself silently before giving a mental shrug, scrambling back onto his feet tiredly, "Must we continue this?" And then he gave his most helpless look towards the man, it always -well most of the time- worked with Lucius and Narcissa.

Only this man was a sadistic bastard with apparently no soft spot for large dewy eyes. All Toshi did was smirk this rather disturbing smirk and the man whacked him again with the stick, as if he wasn't already aching by now. Harry sighed and cast a rather agitated look towards Ayrin, who had the most superior expression on his face. Stupid wolf.

__

I am not stupid. You are just too slow, bonded The wolf opened his large jaws in what appeared to be silent laughter, and Harry glowered furiously at the lupine, muttering under his breath about traitors and the tortures one inflicts on them.

"Boy! Stop daydreaming!" Again, Toshi gave him a firm wack on the arm.

Anger swelled within him, one Harry firmly tried to keep in check as he glared at the man, murmuring lowly, "I wasn't daydreaming." He shot Ayrin a murderous glare, one that Toshi apparently caught because the man gave a small grin and spoke lightly.

"Then perhaps you shouldn't be chatting with that animal anymore."

Resisting, and wondering why he was resisting in the first place, to cast a hex on the man, Harry pointedly turned away from him, "I'm tired. Didn't you get an assessment already? Leave me alone!" He refused to show that he was hurting, mentally going over his status. He had a rather large amount of bruises decorating his frame… but silently he hoped that Narcissa would heal them for him.

Suddenly the slightly familiar sound of claws, much larger than Ayrin's by the sound, filled his ears and he tensed, drawing out his wand and whirling around.

~

Toshi watched with faint curiosity as the boy turned around with a stick drawn out, eyes widening slightly in surprise, his right hand automatically going for his handgun. Did the boy finally snap? He didn't know, and he'd rather not turn into stick like the one he held in his hand. Damned wizards, the unknown was what feared -if he could even call the emotion fear- him the most. 

And unfortunately for him, wizards were planted most firmly in the unknown.

Inwardly he did acknowledge that he was perhaps being a tiny bit too hard on the boy. But what else could be expected when his employer told him to train the boy the best he could, and if not, a replacement could be easily found. The way Lucius had drawled the last sentence had made him freeze and understand impeccably that he wouldn't be given a second chance. He'd rather not have his body snapped in two, a most ignoble death, as one could imagine.

Besides, the boy was being sort of a brat, he could imagine that Harry had the time of his life in this large manor. Which he was currently going to be living in, even if he did not see his rooms yet. Gods only knows what would go on in the huge house, especially considering he was living with _wizards_. 

Deciding that he was spending too much time stuck on the fact that there were wizards in the world, he gave a cautious glance towards the boy, his hand still wresting on his gun, the stick long ago discarded by his feet. His ears caught the subtle sounds of nails -or claws- clicking against some hard surface, which was probably the walkway just a slight distance away, before it faded, probably the… thing was on the grass.

Then his mind jolted back towards the memory of Lucius saying something in that cultured, better-than-thou, way he had. 

__

"Don't be… surprised if something unexpected happens," Lucius gave a chilled smile towards Toshi, and for a moment, he felt a gleam of dislike for the wizard that he wrestled under control.

He gave a cool smile in return, appearing completely and utterly nonchalant, as if he hadn't a care in the world for what may happen, even if he was feeling the exact opposite, truth be told. "What do you mean, unexpected?" Idly his mind wondered what could be the unexpected. It could be anything from talking chairs, to laser beams designed to kill anything that went to close. Who knew, he certainly wasn't a wizard, something he privately thanked all the gods for even if it would had made his assignments much easier before.

The man who sat across from him gave a strange smile, somehow slightly distant, and Toshi felt cold for a moment before he shrugged off the feeling. He had never met anyone quite like Lucius, a mixture of sophistication with utter coldness, grace and ruthlessness, it was slightly unnerving. Not that he cared; all he cared about was the end result, his name being in the clear.

In fact, he wouldn't even ask how that would even be done. Though truthfully, he didn't really want to learn how that would be done, especially with the amount of people he had killed. None of which he felt any amount of remorse for. Some had deserved to die, many did not, but it was a job and one he did well, why waste time thinking over things like morals when he certainly felt that he didn't have any? That was one thing he had in common with Lucius.

"Things may just attack the boy, I don't want you to interfere." Lucius gave him an assessing look, one which Toshi nearly snorted at.

"Of course not, not if you don't want me to. Though my curiosity rears its head," he smirked slightly, "what may attack the boy?" Funny, Lucius struck him as the type that didn't give a damn about anyone, but did he feel an underlying care around him? For the boy? Perhaps, or maybe he was just imagining things. Firmly he told himself that his job was to teach the boy, not to puzzle him out and anyone else.

But he couldn't help but feel as if he was being drawn into something much, much larger than he was.

The man in front of him just tilted his head back slightly, gray eyes thoughtful as he spoke slowly, "Magical constructs, most are highly lethal. I set them on the boy to improve his fighting abilities… using magic of course. Later I'll tell him that wands won't be allowed," a faint smile appeared on his face, slightly vicious in nature, "Of course, I'm relying on your teaching ability to make sure that the boy won't die." He fixed a particularly strong stare at Toshi, making the man feel momentarily trapped, "I want you to do a good job."

Slowly Toshi nodded his head, speaking stiffly, "I understand," all the while wondering just what the heck these 'magical constructs' were.

He felt a flash of foresight that he really didn't understand and that he didn't want to.

Toshi silently decided that what was coming was one of those magical constructs, due to the stiff way the boy held himself and the way the wolf started to pace, but never interfering. It was strange seeing the amount of control the animal had, creepy in a way.

He wordlessly drew out his gun, studying the boy in front of him and marveling over the fact that the whiny child from before seemed almost nonexistent by the way the boy stood, the closed off expression on his face. It was… enlightening. 

Then a bad mood descended on him, and he glowered for a moment. Why was it that the child could sense the thing approaching them, but not seem to be able to dodge most of the stick's strikes that he made? Stupid child. He silently berated Harry in his head, vowing to himself to work the boy harder. Suddenly he started when a streak of green lashed out of the boy.

"Kuso![1]" he swore softly, momentarily forgetting how to speak English in favor of firmly cursing off that _thing_ that had finally struck. His hand automatically disengaged the safety of the gun, raising it up to face the creature, for lack of a better term, before his brain reminded him that he was not to interfere. 

But every other instinct was yelling at him to pull the trigger, preferably sending a bullet towards the head… or what looked like a head anyway. The thing seemed to be a cross between a lizard and… well something. It had a chameleon's bulbous eyes, trained in different directions, a long green body that seemed rather leathery in appearance. But it didn't move slowly, rather it was swift with razor sharp teeth that reminded him of komodo dragons and long sharp claws that had a distinct razor edge to them.

Not a real animal.

Distantly his mind made note, so this was what a magical construct looked like!

Silently he wished that he would never find out. For one, he wondered if his bullet would even penetrate the thick looking skin. Shaking his head and discarding such ridiculous thoughts, he focused his gaze on the boy and the… for lack of a better word, thing.

The first strike was something the boy managed to dodge; though just barely, heavily bruised that he was and apparently winded. Toshi felt a prick of trepidation but continued to watch, not moving a muscle to help. He snuck a distracted look towards the wolf, wondering what the animal made of all of this, seeing the animal pace back and forth, snarling softly.

He felt a pang of sympathy for the beast who couldn't help the boy, and returned his gaze towards the fight, noting silently the way the boy moved and just seemed to barely dodge the heavy strikes. Now if that was due to the fatigue the boy was feeling, or if this was just the norm, he didn't know. But he resolved to correct this if -no, _when_, his mind supplied- the boy got out of this alive.

"_Wingardium leviosa!"_

Toshi watched with fascination when the boy shouted the words and pointed the stick… at a large rock. Curiosity mixed with slight worry warred in his amber gaze as he watched Harry concentrate and the rock picked up from the ground, flinging itself towards the creature with a flick of the stick -no wand- that the boy carried confidently in his hand.

He couldn't help but wince slightly when the rock slammed itself into the midriff of the creature, knocking it back into a large sprawled tree. About to congratulate the boy for the kill, he froze as the creature picked itself up and seemingly shook whatever hurts it had away. Apparently the thing was tougher than he thought, how… vicious of Lucius.

But the boy seemed to expect this, for another spell was ready on his lips and with a slight wave of the wand, "_Confundo_!" The creature suddenly seemed confused, eyes crossing and uncrossing, its head slamming into the tree it crashed into.

Toshi eyes darted towards the boy who seemed to have a look of relief on his face. Exactly what had happened? Well the creature seemed a bit confused really, probably on account of the spell that the boy had done. A faint whistling sound came near him and he lunged backwards, attention now back towards the creature who had just tried to disembowel him with its claws.

"Shimatta! Nani o suru?![2]" He shot towards the boy who looked remarkably confused… and then he remembered that he was still speaking Japanese. His gun raised to fire on the creature when the boy's voice suddenly cut in.

"_Petrificus totalus!"_ A flash of light sped towards the creature, and it just fell over, stiff.

Toshi glared towards Harry, snarling out, "Stupid boy," before giving the creature's body a good kick and then jumping slightly away when its gaze flickered towards him. It was still alive? About to mutter more choice curses, Harry's voice suddenly cut through.

"I'll take care of it." The boy walked over to the creature and waved his wand, murmuring under his breath. Suddenly the body of the creature just seemed to disintegrate before his eyes, exposing bones before that crumbled and disappeared as well.

Harry gave Toshi a faint grin, looking ready to drop dead at his feet, "Hey? Were you swearing?" Toshi could only stare dumbly at the boy as he rattled on, "I'd love for you to teach them to me, I wouldn't tell 'cissa, really!"

Toshi swore quietly under his breath.

~

Harry sighed as he sank deep into his bed, curling up in the blankets and murmuring a faint heating spell which warmed him up deliciously. He winced faintly when he moved, muscles screaming in protest, occasionally bumping a bruise or two. Narcissa wouldn't heal him because Lucius told her not too, she explained that it was supposed to help teach him stuff.

Rebelliously he thought that getting hurt and not getting healed was not a way to teach someone. At least his sadistic weapons teacher went easier on him after the fight with the construct. Not by much really, but enough that it made him feel a bit more favorable to the cold man. 

Silently Ayrin jumped onto his bed, making a small depression as he lay down on its foot, a sleepy mental sigh entering Harry's head.

"Why are you so tired? You didn't do anything." Harry knew that he was sounding a bit… childish, but he couldn't help it, giving his bonded a wry look. He felt, rather than saw, Ayrin's tail wag against the bed and a small smile crept up onto his face unwillingly.

__

Silly bonded, while you were playing with the man, I was chasing birds. They are rather fast… but I will catch them! Ayrin gave a happy sound, _Silly creatures, always flying away… I don't mean to hurt them… much_

A faint chuckle came out lowly from Harry's throat, a tired sound as he spoke, "You mean to kill them you silly creature, of course they'll run away. But you could catch them, if you really wanted," he propped himself up on an elbow, ignoring the jolts of pain, "Why don't you?" Curiosity flickered in his emerald green eyes as he waved his wand and muttered, "_Nox_,"effectively extinguishing the light. He lay back down and buried his head into his soft pillow, knowing that Ayrin's voice would come to him clearly.

__

What's the point? I do not wish to hurt them… truthfully. Unless I was hungry, then I would Ayrin's mental voice was speculative, _Why hurt something that does not need to be hurt? Why kill when it isn't needed? That is what I do not understand about you humans_

Harry sighed, his voice slightly muffled, but knowing that Ayrin would pick up upon his words, "I dunno, Ayrin. But I have to defeat Voldemort, you know what Lucius and 'cissa say. He killed my parents."

__

But it is already done… ah, never mind, bonded. I shall stand by your side… and hopefully Tyr and his bonded shall as well

Grief clutched at his chest at Ayrin's words, Harry's right hand stroking the ring that was on his left. On his left side, he knew that the dragon that he had gotten for a present from Lucius, one that matched Draco's gryphon, sat on the desk. He had tried so hard not to think of Draco and their separation, made even worse because he couldn't reach the boy anymore, couldn't since the start of the term.

Ayrin's mind-voice was gentle, slightly wheedling, _You must think of it though, bonded. Or else you will become bitter at him and we do not want that to happen_

"What if…" Harry's voice trailed off as he clutched his pillow. He went on falteringly when Ayrin gave him a wordless mental prompt, "What if Draco doesn't care anymore? He forgets all about me? Maybe he was the one to block me out!" He shuddered slightly, hand groping out and feeling a soft furry snout thrust into it, "I can't stand not knowing, not speaking to him. We're completely blocked out and I don't even know why!"

__

Something must have happened, he would not abandon you like this. Remember, I cannot feel Tyr as well, and he would never do that on purpose. Silly bonded, did you think that you were the only one affected? 

Harry gave a slightly startled sound; this was the first time he had ever heard Ayrin say something like that. He peeked out from under the pillow to meet wise dark blue eyes that seemed to glow in the dark, as he admitted slowly, "For a moment… I thought I was. I'm sorry that I forgot about you and Tyr, Ayrin." A sad smile graced his lips, it was true though, so often he was wrapped up in his own little world and studies that he took the Astrali wolf for granted.

And even more sadly, he could not say for sure that he wouldn't do that ever again.

But Ayrin understood, the wolf always understood, squirming upwards on the bed until his snout was resting by Harry's back. The wolf gave a whoof and nuzzled the boy lightly before relaxing once more. _Silly bonded, perhaps in the morning you can send Draco a letter?_ The wolf sounded hopeful, _and maybe you can say hi to Tyr for me?_

Harry hesitated from answering, knowing very well that Lucius might not let them send a letter out, before finally saying softly, "I'll ask Lucius, and he says no, we can find another way."

~

Draco took slow and measured bites of his breakfast, steadfastly ignoring the way Vince was poking Greg with a fork, trying to provoke the boy into have some sort of fight using the implements. Pansy looked on in vague interest, but mostly boredom, shooting glances towards the Gryffindors as she remarked, "We're going to learn how to ride our brooms today with the Gryffindors, aren't we?"

Looking up from his food, Draco muttered offhandedly, not really caring much about it, "Yes, a bother really, I know perfectly well how to use a broom," he sneered slightly, "Gryffindors probably don't, a pity, wouldn't you say?" A vague smirked played around his lips as he subtly slipped Tyr, who was next to his chair, some of his breakfast, hearing his bonded bolt it down voraciously.

__

Flying? The wolf wagged his tail, unknowingly knocking it into some nearby people who edged away slightly, still not completely at ease with the presence of a wolf. Ice blue eyes shone in excitement as Tyr's snout peeked out and grabbed a piece of toast from the table, ignoring what cries the people made.

Draco gave a fond smile towards the wolf, ruffling his fur, "Yes, and you shall be on the sidelines." He ignored the looks others gave him, used to it and thinking that they should have gotten used to it by now as well. Stupid people, he thought to himself idly as he speared an egg with his fork, always uneasy about Tyr when it was _obvious_ that the wolf was harmless.

From the corner of his eyes he saw Tyr rear up slightly as the wolf grabbed a piece of bacon from a scared looking Blaise and amended to himself, _mostly harmless anyway._

Getting over their nervousness about Tyr rather quickly, they _did_ have some time to get used to it, Pansy spoke up in a condescending voice, "Did you hear about Granger? I heard that she has been scouring all the library's books about Quidditch in order to learn about flying and not make a total fool of herself," she gave a mock sigh, "Too bad it hasn't worked yet."

"Quidditch isn't something you can learn in a book," Draco said easily, pushing around his eggs and ignoring Tyr's mournful look. The wolf was getting too fat anyway. He chuckled softly when Tyr whined and backed off, obviously hearing the thought. He did find it so amusing when Tyr acted differently when there had been no outward sign of a rebuke. 

__

Unfair!

Draco choked down a laugh, hearing the playfulness in the wolf's thoughts, a fond smile gracing his lips as he ruffled Tyr's pristine fur. 

"Oh, look, the mail's here. Are you expecting anything from your parents today?" Greg's voice cut through Draco's mirth, the other boy watching a swarm of owls spiraling down. 

It was a well-known fact that Draco's parents spoiled him, what others didn't know was the bits of information his father always let slip at times in their letters. Draco looked up at the owls and eyed them for a moment, before he shook his head, "Not today. We still have some sweets from last time, so it doesn't matter." He lifted a shoulder in a slight shrug.

"What a pretty owl!" Pansy's gave a slight wave of her hand towards a snowy owl with distinct black markings, one that Draco found to be extremely familiar.

__

Hedwig?

His eyes widened slightly as he watched the owl spiral down and land neatly on the table, holding out a leg as she playfully nipped at Tyr's ear and pulling out a few tuffs of fur.

__

Stupid owl… But Tyr tolerated her, his nose nudging out and giving her a friendly nuzzle, ignoring the people around them that seemed to think that he was going to eat her.

As if he would eat Harry's owl, Draco mused to himself as he reached out mechanically and withdrew the letter from Hedwig. He glanced up briefly and met the obsidian gaze of Severus who was watching with something akin to curiosity, well, if one knew the potions master well enough to spot the signs. Another slight shrug of his shoulders, very slight, and the man turned away. Draco knew that they would probably talk later.

About to open it, his hand at the seal, Pansy's voice suddenly sounded, "Who's it from? That isn't Archimedes[3] or any one of the regular eagle owls that your parents use, Draco."

His hands stilled as Draco suddenly decided to open it privately, where there weren't a hundred eyes watching him. Sure, he was probably exaggerating, but he didn't think that his father would like it if everyone knew the contents of his letter. Instead, he put on a bland smile and stuffed the letter into his robes as he stood up, "Don't worry about it, it's still from home, just a new owl I wager. Mother was looking for a pretty one."

He swiped a piece of toast off of a nearby plate -ignoring the indignant noise, he _was_ a Malfoy after all and nobody was going to rebuke him- and tossed it towards Hedwig who snapped her beak around it and took off into the air, probably going back towards Harry. Done with that, his silver eyes slid downwards towards Tyr who was trying to be 'friendly' and have one of the students give him a piece of their breakfast. He would have smiled, if it weren't for the fact that he could feel the letter weigh heavily in his robes, "Tyr, come on now."

He started to walk away to find a secluded place where he could open the letter, when his gaze flickered over towards the Gryffindor table where apparently Neville Longbottom had received a package from home. Curiosity piqued slightly, plus he needed for his exit to look natural knowing that he had left his table rather quickly, he moved over towards the Gryffindor table, sensing, rather than seeing, Vince and Greg follow him.

Apparently a barn owl brought Longbottom a small package from his grandmother. The boy opened it excitedly and showed his table mates a glass ball the size of a large marble, which seemed to be full of white smoke.

Snatches of the conversation reached Draco's ears as he drew closer.

"It's a Remembrall!" Longbottom explained. "Gran knows I forget things -- this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red -- oh…" 

Draco smirked slightly, for Longbottom's face had fallen because the Remembrall had suddenly glowed scarlet.

"…you've forgotten something…"

He refused to laugh, really, even though it was really quite amusing how Longbottom seemed to always get into predicaments like this… and being a pureblood as well! He shook his head slightly and quickly grabbed the Remembrall out of the pondering boy's hand, eyeing it curiously. 

From the corner of his eyes he saw Weasley, the youngest male (gods… they bred like rabbits, didn't they?), jump out of his seat, probably wanting to pick a fight.

Tyr immediately growled, but Professor McGonagall, who could spot trouble quicker than any teacher in this school, was there in a flash, asking, "What's going on?"

"Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor."

Ignoring the impulse to roll his eyes, Draco just scowled and he quickly dropped the Remembrall back onto the table, idly wondering to himself why he always had the habit of taking things from other people… something to look into later. He drawled out calmly, "Just looking," before walking away with Tyr loping after him, Vince and Greg back a couple of steps.

He duck into the nearest secluded corridor and with his hands shaking slightly, and him having no idea why he felt like this, he took out the letter, startling slightly when Vince and Greg showed up soon after him. "What in bloody…" he trailed off and shook his head, "You two, I really don't need some kind of escort, you know."

Ignoring the caustic sound in Draco's voice, Greg spoke up wonderingly, "So who's it from?" 

His eyes narrowed and before he spoke scathingly, he reigned in his temper, reminding himself fiercely that they were his friends and that one didn't bawl out their friends for asking a simple question… most of the time anyway. Instead, Draco just sighed and waved them off, "Can't tell, I just have to read it. Leave me alone…" he paused, then spoke on in a slightly pained voice, "please?"

Malfoy's do not say please… his mind reminded him, but apparently Vince caught the severity of the situation for he tugged on Greg's arm and smiled slightly at Draco, "Okay then, we'll be in the common room when you're done."

He sighed in relief and glanced down towards Tyr who was faithfully standing by his feet, "Sense anyone near?" 

__

Nope! came the near instant reply and the wolf nudged closer to him, _Read! It is from Ayrin's bonded! I can smell his scent all over the paper! Please?_

Draco smiled wryly as his fingers ripped through the seal and opened the letter, pausing for a moment while doing so to view the rather impressive wards that were on the thing. Apparently the only person who could open it, without triggering the wards, was himself only. Idly he wondered whether his father or Harry himself had done the magic… if it was Harry, then the boy was much farther than he was in their studies.

__

Open now!

Jolting out of his thoughts, Draco gave a wry look towards the eager wolf and smoothed the letter, reading it silently. Tyr could pick it from his mind easily, so he didn't have to read it out loud.

__

Drake and Tyr,

Throughout the weeks I've been wondering if I had done something  
wrong. And then Ayrin went and started pestering me to ask you  
and to see if I really did. I can't feel you in my mind anymore…  
You blocked me… didn't you? What else could it be? I don't know  
why though! But I shouldn't jump to conclusions, that's what  
Lucius said. Don't worry, I didn't tell him about the connection  
that we have, it's just something that he says constantly when I start  
asking questions. Insufferable man, to quote 'cissa.

I ought to stop being gloomy, Ayrin says that I'm not as fun to be around  
with if I'm gloomy. Silly wolf, right? Did you know that at first I didn't  
think that I'd be able to contact you at all? I had to beg Lucius for  
at least twenty minutes… and you know how impatient I am.   
Anyway, I suppose if you're reading this, then you got through the  
wards. No, I'm not the one who did them. They're too advanced   
for me, besides, Lucius says that I might mess them up and someone  
else may read the letter. That would be horrible…

The point of all of this is that if you even bother to answer me   
back then you ought to try to put as many wards as you can on the  
letter, and to address it to Lucius himself, then he would give it to me.  
He even promised not to read them… surprising, isn't it? Ah well…

I have a new teacher, weapons instructor as Lucius calls him. He's  
a strange man, a muggle of all things! His name is Toshi and he seems  
to be rather fond of hitting me with a stick when I fail to dodge   
something adequately. I guess he's okay… though I've only known  
him for a day. Somehow Lucius got him through the wards, and he  
isn't allowed to go out, a lot like me actually. I'm not sure how Lucius  
did it though… I didn't think that the manor would permit such  
tampering. Maybe it knows something that we do not? I wouldn't  
be surprised anyway.

Things are brewing around here about some mystical item… Lucius and  
'cissa talk about it all the time, and Hogwarts comes into the   
conversation a lot. What do you think it all means? Something is   
happening, but Lucius says that I shouldn't worry about it, since I   
can't do anything about it. Infuriating… I want to know though! But  
I bet that it has something to do with Voldemort, it always has   
something to do with that man. Wish I could kill him off for real  
this time…

Is Sev giving you extra studies like he had before? He comes over  
still, but not as often as before, and he won't give me any information  
about that object. It seems that he and Lucius are of like minds on this  
thing. I'm sure I can make him slip some information… But I usually only  
seem him on the weekends, with him being busy teaching potions at Hogwarts  
and all… How is he as a teacher? I would suspect that he's horribly   
sarcastic, am I right? I adore him in those kinds of moods, it's highly  
amusing really. 

This is getting long… I miss you… and Ayrin tells me to say hello to Tyr as   
well. I hope that you are well have having a great time at that school,   
I sorely wish I could go. Perhaps next year? Anyway, au revoir. (A new  
phrase that I've picked up from 'cissa, interesting, isn't it?)

--Harry and Ayrin

Draco finished reading the letter slowly, eyes thoughtful as he let it go, watching it curled up into a ball of flame in midair and disappear. The wards that were on the parchment really were impressive, he reflected to himself absentmindedly, mind still whirring with thoughts. 

__

Silly boy 

Flinching slightly at the sudden voice in his head, Draco's eyes automatically fell onto Tyr, finally asking, "Why are you calling him silly?" He didn't say Harry's name out loud, deciding that even if Tyr said that there was no one around, that didn't warrant the risk of speaking his name… even if it was only his first. People were not to know about Harry's existence at all, and he didn't want to be the one who finally let the cat out of the bag.

Tyr flicked his ears towards Draco, tongue lolling out slightly as he thrust his head into Draco's hand, quite obviously demanding that the boy should pet him, which Draco did. _I don't understand why you both thought that the other blocked you off. Sillies. Packs do not keep secrets from one another if it is going to be hurtful, it is detrimental to the pack_ Changing tactics slightly, Tyr snuffled into one of Draco's pockets, finding a piece of bread and gulping it down, _Besides, Ayrin would not block me off without telling me. Did you forget about us?_

Draco refrained from flinching as big, mournful pale blue eyes stared at him, and he cracked a smile, hand softly petting Tyr's head. "Of course not," he winced inwardly and replied more truthfully at Tyr's reproachful look, sometimes it wasn't better to have someone know everything that went on inside your head, "Well… I suppose I was a bit wrapped up in the fact that Harry seemed to block me off. But…" he hesitated, hand curling and grasping some of the soft fur, "What else could it be?"

__

I don't know… maybe this place?

"What do you mean?" He looked at Tyr curiously.

The wolf answered back easily, backing away slightly with a playful look, _Because you weren't able to contact him, nor could I contact my brother, since the first time we stepped foot in this big place. Perhaps we shall go home?_

Suddenly Draco's eyes were drawn towards where the letter had brunt, mind whirring with thoughts as he said slowly, "Wards."

Tyr ignored him, happily snuffling around the corridor.

He went on to himself softly, "Of course. Like the manor, perhaps Hogwarts have wards that could block connections like the one Harry and I have." He tilted his head to the side, wisps of blond hair falling down to shadow his eyes… apparently he forgot to do the spell to slick his hair back this morning. Ah well, he'll do it before classes start. 

Draco smiled faintly at himself, amused that he got sidetracked because he was thinking about his hair, before shaking his head and focusing himself on the current situation. He mused to himself that the wards were probably the reason, and that he really should do more studying on the castle… perhaps even read _Hogwarts, A History_, it was something to look into. 

About the letter… well, he'll send off a reply in a day or two, when he had some conclusive evidence, or at least more than just idle speculation. He gently pushed Tyr's head, "Come on, a quick pass at the Common Room, then we have flying lessons…" he gave himself a smug smirk, feeling better than he had since he had first arrived, "We'll teach those Gryffindors how to really fly."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

[1] "Kuso!"- Japanese swear word, means 'shit'. 

[2] "Shimatta! Nani o suru?!"- Shimatta is another swear word in Japanese, kind of like "damn it!", heh. Nani o suru means "What are you doing?!"

[3] Archimedes- What I've decided to name Draco's eagle owl. Yes, kinda… muggle-ish ^^; but I couldn't come up with anything else. (In other words: I was too lazy :P)

~

*twitch* Okay, so I lied and I can't seem to wrap up the first year in one chapter .;; Never really expected myself to be able to though *sighs* But has anyone noticed how long this chapter was? ^^;;; I realized that I had so much stuff to still go over so… yeah. Actually, this was only a portion of what I wanted to fit in for this chapter, but I didn't want to go on too long without another update, so I'll do everything else in the next chapter I suppose. 

Erm, everything else that I'm thinking about, I'm still not going to end the first year yet. I know, boo hoo and all of that. *thwaps herself* So this is shaping up to be much longer than anticipated… oh boy. And here I thought I was taking up a simple little project .;; How long do I think the first year will take me to complete? I have nooo idea… Probably several more chapters, and hopefully the next year will go quicker so I can get to what I really want to write *winks*

Ugh, I decided that I ramble too much in these latter parts… So yeah, I'll keep this shorter ^.~ Anyway, don't you think that Toshi has a colorful vocabulary? ^^; He _is_ Japanese anyway. Okay, so I don't know if 'Nani o suru' is completely correct, but I tried, I don't know Japanese. I tend to try to stay away from mixing languages if I don't know them.

If you still want an e-mail update, review and umm.. tell me. Don't forget your e-mail addy ^^;;;; 

  
~   
  
My e-mail address is flyby311@hotmail.com and put Single Choice or fanfic or Harry Potter or something similar to that, so I know what the e-mail is about. Anything you want to add/criticize/comment/whatever you guys just review it… please? 


End file.
